Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Lindsay Mader, lindsay.mader@sierraclub.org
Donaldsonville, LA - As impacted residents provide public testimony later today on Hyundai Steel’s air permit for its proposed steel plant, Sierra Club is urging significant permit changes and pollution reductions. The hearing is part of a too-brief public comment period that will now end on September 15th after the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) granted a short 13-day extension following requests from multiple local groups and individuals, including Sierra Club.
***Sierra Club is working to finalize its written comments ahead of the newly extended deadline for written comments. A preview of the comments is available under embargo, upon request. ***
Despite a legal obligation to the people of Louisiana, LDEQ has fast-tracked the flawed permit, giving the public an insufficient amount of time for to review and comment on the 2,100-plus pages of proposed permitting materials for this complex project that will bring thousands of tons of pollution to an area of Cancer Alley that is already overburdened with pollution.
While Hyundai Steel does not have a final air permit, the company is planning a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, September 4th.
Throughout 2026, Sierra Club, working with experts and local groups, submitted a series of pre-comments to LDEQ in an effort to bring to light the errors, miscalculations, and omissions in the permit application. Hyundai Steel made some changes to its permit application as a result of those comments, updating plans to electrify some components of the facility, which will lower levels of pollution from the facility.
However, as the draft permit currently stands, more electrification is necessary and the company also must make plans to reduce emissions of toxic dust. Further, Hyundai Steel completely removed the environmental justice analysis from the permit application, so the draft permit likewise omits this critical information. LDEQ did not do any analysis of alternative sites to determine if there is a location that would be less harmful to surrounding communities. LDEQ also did not conduct a proper jobs analysis or complete any of its other public trust duties, including impacts on drinking water and public health.
In response, Sierra Club Industrial Transformation Campaign Director Matthew Miles Goodrich issued the following statement:
“Residents of Donaldsonville and Modeste must have a meaningful opportunity to weigh in on a project that would fundamentally reshape the health, environment, and economy of their community for generations. Instead, LDEQ is rushing Hyundai Steel’s air permit through an inadequate public process while failing to do the basic analysis required to protect the public. Though we are glad Hyundai has made some improvements to its plans, this proposed permit still falls far short of what people there deserve. LDEQ must slow down, fully evaluate the project’s impacts and alternative locations, and put the health and well-being of Cancer Alley residents first for a change.”
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.