A proposed expansion at the Cornerstone Chemical Complex will be the focus of a Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality public hearing scheduled for later this month.
Explosives maker Dyno Nobel, which is located in Cornerstone Chemical Company’s 800-acre Fortier Manufacturing Complex, is looking to build a new boiler at its ammonia plant in Waggaman. If approved, the project would increase the facility’s current sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by approximately 25%.
The complex sits immediately east of the St. Charles and Jefferson Parish line.
Lisa Karlin, a member of the Harahan/River Ridge Air Quality Group, said the LDEQ air permit modification being requested by Dyno Nobel could increase pollutant emissions, including those that cause cancer.
LDEQ issued a public notice about the modification request and scheduled a public hearing for March 21 at 6 p.m. at the Waggaman Gym, located at 516 Dandelion in Waggaman.
“Many of us in our air quality group suspect that this air permit modification is needed for Dyno Noble/Cornerstone to ultimately be able to produce more ammonia for the proposed fertilizer plant,” she said, adding that it is also concerning as it will increase truck traffic near the plant. “This would be the first fertilizer plant in our area, and anyone who has ever opened a bag of fertilizer for their lawn knows to expect lots of dust and a pungent chemical odor if a fertilizer plant is built … which could permeate your neighborhood or mine depending on which way the wind blows. The vast majority of our air quality group members are opposed to any kind of expansion at Cornerstone.”
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