Nucor Steel withdraws expansion plan for St. James Parish plant

Nucor Steel has withdrawn its Title V permit application for a major expansion of its pelletizer plant in St. James Parish, just one year after submitting it to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

News of the withdrawal comes after St. James Parish residents publicized Nucor’s air permit violations, filing an objection to the settlement between Nucor and LDEQ over the violations, according to an announcement from activist group Louisiana Bucket Brigade.

On July 27, Nucor submitted an “addendum” to LDEQ that replaced its original permit renewal application entirely and stated its intention to withdraw the proposed pelletization project plan. It was only this week, however, that the addendum was posted to LDEQ’s electronic document management system.