LAPLACE — Denka Performance Elastomer is in the process of filing a request for reconsideration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Jan. 25, 2018, decision to deny the company’s request for correction of the 2010 Toxicological Review of Chloroprene.

The company’s original request came after DPE and third-party scientists reviewed the 2010 Review and found basic scientific issues with its conclusions.

DPE has been working with the EPA to present new information and resolve issues with its conclusions and will continue to be in dialogue with EPA to ensure EPA’s future requirements are based on accurate, scientifically sound information.

DPE currently operates in compliance with all permits written by state and federal regulators and will continue to work cooperatively with LDEQ and EPA on all on-going issues.

DPE purchased DuPont’s Neoprene-producing Pontchartrain Works Site in November 2015. Since then, the company has voluntarily developed and implemented major emissions-reduction projects designed to reduce the facility’s emissions by 85 percent at a total cost of over $30 million.

DPE has 235 full-time employees, 125 resident contractors, and a total annual payroll of $35 million. Over 75 percent of DPE’s employees are residents of the River parishes, and total taxes and purchases result in a contribution to the local and regional economies of approximately $80 million per year.

Denka Performance Elastomer is committed to regulatory compliance and protecting the environment as well as the health and safety of its employees and community as a whole.