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Federal school grants restored Trump administration had frozen billions
BY PATRICK WALL | Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The Sasol petrochemical complex in Westlake is one of the plants to receive a two-year exemption from complying with a rule aimed at cutting pollution and cancer risks.
Trump exempts plants in La. from pollution rule 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 technological limits, concerns Trump 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 implementa-
tion 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 improving 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 those companies. It also doesn’t apply to all 51 Louisiana operations affected by the Biden-era pollution requirements, even though some companies that didn’t get exemptions in Louisiana received them in other
states, including Phillips 66 and Ineos. State regulators said they knew some companies had sought the exemptions — the Trump administration had previously sought requests from companies in March — and have been monitoring their status. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s secretary promised to enforce the rules on companies that have not received the exemptions “with no changes in how the agency oversees their operations.” “I appreciate the administration carefully reviewing the Louisiana facilities mentioned and ensuring that companies here are following proper regulations,” DEQ Secretary Courtney Burdette said in a statement. Sharon Lavigne, who runs the local community group RISE St. James, which advocated for the regulatory changes known as the HON rule,
ä See PLANTS, page 6A
Amphitheater to be constructed at park
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR | Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Residents use the shade of oak trees while listening to the music during the SWLA Juneteenth Music Festival & Stone Soul Picnic at Heymann Park in Lafayette on June 21. An amphitheater is the centerpiece of phase one of improvements ä See HEYMANN, page 5A planned by Lafayette to Heymann Park.
WEATHER HIGH 87 LOW 77 PAGE 6A
ä See GRANTS, page 5A
Skrmetta enters U.S. Senate race against Cassidy
PSC official joins two other major GOP challengers BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Work to start on Heymann upgrades
Work is expected to begin before the end of 2025 on the first phase of improvements to Lafayette’s Heymann Park, which includes the construction of an amphitheater. Owned by Lafayette Consolidated Government, Heymann Park is located at 1500 S. Orange St., across the Vermilion River from the Vermilionville Living History Museum. Various improvements are planned for Heymann Park. “The opportunities the new and improved park will present for recreational activities, festivals and other special events are
The Trump administration will release billions of dollars in federal education grants that it withheld from schools this month, officials said Friday, ending an abrupt funding freeze that had threatened to disrupt school services just weeks before students return from summer break. Louisiana had stood to lose more than $109 million, or about 14% of its federal K-12 education funding, according to one tally of the frozen funds. The administration last week released a portion of the money that funds after-school programs, but the rest remained in holding while federal officials reviewed the grants to ensure they aligned with the president’s priorities. The money, which schools had expected to receive July 1, helps pay for teacher training and programs for migrant students, English learners, adult literacy, violence prevention and more. School leaders and service providers, who had warned that withholding the money could cause devastating cuts, celebrated Friday’s announcement. “This is great news for Louisiana,” said Andrew Ganucheau, director of the Louisiana Center for Afterschool Learning, in a statement. “These programs provide vital educational assistance that many of our students and families rely on.” The Trump administration’s decision to unlock the money follows court challenges and an outcry from educators, advocacy groups and members of Congress, who had appropriated the funding in a bill that President Donald Trump signed earlier this year.
The anti-Bill Cassidy U.S. Senate Republican primary became a bit more crowded on Friday. Eric Skrmetta, a veteran member of the Public Service Commission from metro New Orleans, said he will be the third major Republican to try to keep Cassidy from winning reelection to the U.S. Senate next year. “I will embark on a jour- Skrmetta ney with our President to reclaim what makes our republic great,” Skrmetta said in a statement. “We must protect our Southern border, invest in our military strength, and stop Green New Deal whims.” Cassidy and his Re- Cassidy publican opponents will face off in a closed primary in April under the new election rules put in place by
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ä See SENATE, page 5A
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