Louisiana
Louisiana court reinstates Formosa plant permit, but financial outlook still bleak
Last week, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision and reinstated a permit for Formosa’s proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, located in the heart of an area commonly known as “Cancer Alley.”
The decision reverses a lower court ruling that demanded closer scrutiny of the project’s potential to cause a discriminatory health impact due to industrial air pollution saturation in an already heavily burdened African-American community.
The decision provides a go-ahead for a project that has yet to pass environmental muster at the federal level, ignores repeated warnings from Standard and Poor’s, and flies in the face of community sentiments that the siting of the chemical project is unjust. Despite all the legal machinations, however, Formosa has not issued a final investment decision (FID) that would give the corporate go-ahead for the project.
The reinstatement of the Louisiana permit has not reversed the series of negative economic factors that plague the project. An IEEFA analysis has indicated the project is financially unviable based on fundamental market factors.
- The market for the products to be manufactured at the proposed facility currently remains oversupplied. On a global basis, world supply continues to outpace demand for polyethylene, polypropylene and ethyl glycols. This is likely to continue through 2030.
- The oversupply is likely to continue. New projects have recently been added to the market, and at least one more is in construction. CC Polymer’s Golden Triangle project in Texas is expected to come online in 2027, adding 1 million tons to U.S. markets. Shell opened its Pennsylvania petrochemical plant in 2021, which has shown modest performance, according to recent reports.
- The oversupply is not likely to be absorbed. Analysts see slow growth in North America. In the core export region (Northeast Asia and China), economic growth is expected to be slower than predicted when the plant was first planned.
- Increased demand also is likely to be dampened due to sustainability impacts, demographic change and legislative mandates.
- Export demand is unstable. In 2022, the United States exported 54% of the polyethylene produced. The industry’s reliance on exporting is likely to continue given the limited domestic market, with most of the exports going to China and Europe. Yet export scenarios predicated on these two arenas show instability in the medium and longer term.
- Competition with recycled plastic products will reduce the market share for virgin plastics. Recycling in the United States is expected to rise by 50%, achieving an 8.7% share of the market in 2030. The recycled plastics market share is expected to increase by 26% over the next decade, to 11% of the market in 2040.
- The company faces significantly higher construction costs. With rising costs also weakening prices from oversupply, the company has not offered any indication to its investors that explains how the financial structure of the facility still meets the company’s internal return targets.
- Standard and Poor’s, which offered strong cautions regarding the proposed petrochemical complex in October 2021, has not altered its opinion of the project. In October 2023, the company outlook was negative on lower demand, significant debt and higher competition in the commodity markets. The opinion repeated its concern that the Louisiana project faced a negative “political and market” environment. The negative outlook did not include any proposed new spending on the facility.
Any further development action on the project is likely to trigger credit concerns like those expressed in the October 2021 opinion. Moody’s, which holds the company’s rating stable, has still indicated concerns about Formosa‘s plastic business debt levels.
- Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s and Fitch each issued new climate guidance in the fourth quarter of 2023 that tightens the link between the sustainability of today’s business investments and companies’ mid-to-long-term profitability.
The financial fundamentals of this scenario have been sufficient to prompt a continued warning from Standard and Poor’s. Moody’s has taken note that rising socioeconomic inequality, political polarization and deteriorating governance threaten the otherwise strong financial outlook for the nation. The Louisiana appeals court decision can only feed the underlying stresses identified in both credit advisories.
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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