You didn't not build that

While we're pleased as hell for the people of St. James Parish to learn that Wanhua has withdrawn its application to build a gigantic poison gas factory in Convent.  At the same time, though, maybe the kids should not get carried away with themselves.

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade and other community and environmental groups that had fought the project trumpeted Wanhua's decision to withdraw its land use request as a victory, calling it "David Beats Goliath."

In a joint statement, they claimed Wanhua capitulated to the pressure and that  litigation from the groups had slowed the project's approval enough to allow it to be subject to more thorough scrutiny and become more vulnerable to economic variables.

The groups also promised to continue fighting other projects planned near the largely lower income, black communities in the parish's northern end.

"My great-great-great-great grandmother came out of slavery and bought my family's land," said Barbara Washington, a Convent resident who is part of the community group Rise St. James. "Our hard work has paid off. We will not stop 'til all those industries who want to come in here change their plans. We are tired of being sick. We refuse to be sick anymore."

I can pretty much guarantee this international chemical manufacturer did not alter its global production strategy because it was afraid of a couple of local non-profits and a pro-bono law clinic.  These entities move in completely separate dimensions from the rabble they indifferently exploit and crush just in the course of daily business.

Wanhua claims that uncertainty over US/China tariffs is affecting its costs. There's room to dispute just how serious they are about that. But it's far more plausible at least as a factor in their decision making process.  As the matter stands now, they're still planning a "scaled down" plant somewhere else in Louisiana.. possibly in St. James Parish, even. It wouldn't be surprising at all to learn they're negotiating with John Bel Edwards for a new package of tax incentives to make that happen.

In the meantime, that's one fewer poison gas factories. That's good.  At least it means the new poison gas factory next door will have to find a different customer, anyway.

The down-scaling would have cut capital investment significantly but would have avoided the use of potent chemicals that had drawn opposition from community and environmental groups. The shift, however, also meant the company would no longer need a supply of chlorine, which Wanhua had planned to get from future neighbor, Occidental Chemical Corporation.

OxyChem was also offering Wanhua the land for the proposed complex and that offer dried up after Wanhua's change in scale and the loss of potential chlorine sales, Roussel said. OxyChem has declined comment on the matter.