said a statement by Sharon Lavigne, who
founded the local group Rise St. James to fight
the planned complex announced in 2018.
Formosa, based in Taiwan, wants to produce
polyethylene, polypropylene, polymer and
ethylene glycol on 2,400 acres (970 hectares) in
St. James Parish. Dubbed The Sunshine Project
because it’s near the Sunshine Bridge, the
project is expected to provide 1,200 permanent
jobs and up to 8,000 construction jobs, the state
has said.
The Corps issued a permit in September 2019
to let FG LA dredge and fill wetlands and create
detention ponds in wetlands, according to a
lawsuit by opponents. It said the site includes
more than 900 acres (364 hectares) of wetlands,
of which nearly 62 acres (25 hectares) of
wetlands and nearly 50 acres (20 hectares) of
other waters would be permanently affected.
It could take years to put together a full
environmental impact statement, Lavigne said
in an interview.
She said she silently thanked God when
Pinkham said he was planning the order.
“I had to touch myself to see if I’m real,” said
Lavigne, who earlier this year was awarded
a Goldman Environmental Prize honoring
grassroots environmental activism.
Within an hour, she said, Pinkham’s memo to the
Corps’ commanding general was posted on his
office’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Pinkham, who supervises and sets policy for the
Corps’ civil works, wrote that he is committed
to having the Army “be a leader in the federal
government’s efforts to ensure thorough