A Bad Bet
For Ascension
Air pollution can lead to or worsen heart problems, respiratory illness, and more. Ascension Parish already faces massive amounts of toxic chemicals released by existing industry in the area.
The proposed Air Products facility will bring more pollution into neighborhoods, jeopardize health, risk homes values, and put kids in the path of potential disasters.
More Pollution Planned for Ascension Parish
The Air Products Blue Energy facility is planned to produce hydrogen and ammonia. Ammonia is a toxic, flammable gas that can ignite and explode when mixed with air. High levels of ammonia can cause immediate, severe lung damage and even death.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is holding a public hearing in Ascension Parish on April 16, 2026. Scroll down for more details on the location and time.
Petrochemical companies rely on billions in tax breaks and subsidies to build new facilities. An assessment found that the ammonia industry in the United States has been losing jobs over the last 25 years. The oil and gas industry is contributing less and less to state revenues: from 60 percent in the 1960s to only 4.5 percent in 2024. Meanwhile, Ascension Parish has given more than $5 billion in tax exemptions to petrochemical companies since 1996 and nearly a half a billion dollars to this Air Products ammonia scheme.
Communities pay the price:
- 993,000+ pounds of hazardous air pollution released by Air Products
- 14 million pounds of hazardous air pollution are already released by surrounding industry
- $437 million in tax breaks for Air Products
A Legacy of Harm
The Air Products Blue Energy facility marks another step in a long legacy of harm against Louisiana communities. Air Products is seeking to build a petrochemical plant right on top of the former Orange Grove plantation. This site could contain the unmarked graves of those enslaved on the plantation, but the company has moved forward without conducting an archaeological survey of the site.
Not only would this new petrochemical plant bury Ascension Parish in more toxic pollution, it could also bury its history.
Attend The Hearing
Thursday, April 16th, 2026 at 6pm
