The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality approved a final air permit yesterday for Hyundai’s planned steel manufacturing facility in Donaldsonville. The project has drawn scrutiny from environmental advocates who contend the facility will contribute additional pollution to an already heavily industrialized region. Throughout the year, the Sierra Club and affiliated organizations submitted multiple sets of comments to state regulators highlighting technical deficiencies and gaps in the company’s permit application. In response to this feedback, Hyundai Steel revised its plans to incorporate electrification of certain facility components, a modification expected to reduce overall emissions from the project.
Despite these adjustments, environmental groups maintain the final permit does not go far enough in mandating pollution controls. The permit does not require electrification of additional facility sections or the incorporation of green hydrogen into operations, nor does it mandate best-available technology standards for dust management systems. The LDEQ determination that the facility would generate “no adverse impacts” led regulators to forgo an environmental justice analysis, even though Ascension Parish experiences pollution levels that rank among the highest in the nation.
The environmental justice analysis was notably absent from the final permit after Hyundai initially included it in the application before removing it entirely. Additionally, state regulators conducted no independent evaluation of alternative sites that might pose reduced risks to nearby communities. Sierra Club representatives stated the company should leverage its technological capabilities and access to advanced manufacturing techniques to implement cleaner production methods, including hydrogen-based steel production. The organization indicated it is reviewing legal options and next steps regarding the approval.
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