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Trump exempts plants in La. from pollution rule
Reports detail robberies that didn’t happen Former Glenmora police chief accused of involvement in visa scheme BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer
ing air quality for minority and poor communities that often bear the brunt of industrial pollution, though industry groups opposed them as too costly and unsupported by science. Trump’s proclamation issued July 17 grants the two-year exemptions to Shell, BASF, Dow, Union Carbide, Denka, Sasol, Westlake and a handful of other companies in Louisiana. The proclamation doesn’t always make clear to which facilities it applies for
During the first half of 2024, Tebo Onishea, then the police chief of Glenmora, in Rapides Parish, wrote up a series of reports that documented a jarring number of armed robberies for his town of about 1,000. Visitors hailing from as far as Charleston, South Carolina, or Flushing, New York, reported passing through town late at night, stopping to rest or change a tire, when they were accosted by masked or hooded men carrying guns, Onishea wrote in six reports from incidents he said he handled himself. The men demanded money and jewelry from victims who “feared for their life,” he wrote. Some were shoved to the ground and kicked, his reports stated. The men then escaped into the dark woods. Federal prosecutors say Onishea made all of it up, and that he wasn’t the only one. The newly-obtained Glenmora police reports provide the first look at what federal prosecutors allege was a bribes-for-visas scheme in a 62-count indictment unsealed last week. The alleged immigration fraud conspiracy centers around Onishea and police chiefs in neighboring Oakdale and Forest Hill, along with an Oakdale marshal and a businessman in town, Chandrakant “La La” Patel. Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Louisiana allege that Patel bribed the four lawmen to draft fake police reports, which could then be used to help foreign
ä See PLANTS, page 6A
ä See REPORTS, page 6A
STAFF FILE PHOTO
The BASF facility in Geismar is one of the plants to receive a two-year exemption from complying with a rule aimed at cutting pollution and cancer risks.
Regulation was aimed at reducing cancer risks BY DAVID J. MITCHELL and JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writers
Twelve petrochemical companies in Louisiana have received two-year exemptions from President Donald Trump from complying with a 2024 rule aimed at cutting pollution and cancer risks for communities near industrial plants, a regulation they had labeled unnecessarily costly but which environmental activists had lauded as long overdue. The new proclamation cites technologi-
cal limits, concerns over cost and national security impacts from supply chain disruptions to put off compliance until 2028 for major petrochemical companies operating in the Mississippi River region and Lake Charles area. Some advocates said they see the new exemptions as an interim move to delay implementation while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency undoes or lessens the requirements permanently. Last year, environmental advocates hailed the rule as a major step in improv-
Baton Rouge Christmas parade canceled
Governor spars with insurance chief again Officials diverge on how insurer entered La. market BY TYLER BRIDGES
Organizers cite costs related to security concerns
BY QUINN COFFMAN and ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writers
The cancellation of this year’s Cortana Kiwanis Christmas Parade comes down to the cost of providing security for the event, organizers say. The downtown Christmas parade, which raises money for local children’s charities, has been held in Baton Rouge for 74 years and regularly attracts crowds of more than 75,000 people. The Cortana Kiwanis
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Santa Claus rides on the Coca-Cola train during the 2024 Cortana ä See PARADE, page 7A Kiwanis Christmas Parade.
WEATHER HIGH 89 LOW 76 PAGE 8B
Staff writer
Landry
They still aren’t on the same page. Gov. Jeff Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple are offering sharply contrasting views over how and why General Motors Insurance entered the Louisiana market — a continuation of a battle between the two Republicans during the regular legislative session over how best to hold down rising insurance rates and who is responsible if that doesn’t happen. Much of their earlier dispute centered on the
passage of House Bill 148, which gives whoever is the insurance commissioner the right to reject excessive rate increases without backing up the decision with hard data. Landry pushed HB148 through the Legislature, over Temple’s objections, saying that if rates keep rising, the public should then blame the insurance commissioner. The latest disagreement began Wednesday when
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Temple
ä See SPAR, page 7A
101ST yEAR, NO. 25