Louisiana grants Denka two-year extension for EPA compliance

La Place, Louisiana – The US state of Louisiana has granted Denka Performance Elastomer (DPE) a two-year extension to comply with new 'air toxics' regulations being introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The move followed a decision last week by the US court of appeals for the district of Columbia to reject DPE’s emergency motion to stay EPA’s 90-day compliance rule, specifically targeting chloroprene rubber plants.

DPE is the only manufacturer of chloroprene rubber in the US.

In a press conference held at the DPE plant in La Place, Louisiana state officials said they were granting the extension under ‘their own authority, as granted under the clean air act.’

“This is a great example of how the Biden administration has targeted American workers and companies, and basically transposed those jobs and products to China," Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said 1 July.

According to local press reports, Louisiana has also filed a petition in the US federal court in Washington DC, challenging the EPA’s ruling.