As community discussions surrounding the planned $5.8 billion Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel facility in Ascension Parish continue, community advocates are inviting residents to a town hall Thursday in Donaldsonville focused on how communities can negotiate benefits from large industrial projects.
Good Neighbors Louisiana, along with coalition partners, will host a workshop-style meeting to introduce residents to the concept of community benefits agreements [CBAs] and gather input on what local residents would like to see in future agreements related to the Hyundai project and other developments planned at the RiverPlex MegaPark.
The event comes three months after a March town hall that drew residents seeking information about the steel facility and its potential environmental and economic impacts.
“This is really going to be a workshop to talk about what that [CBA] actually is, what those documents actually are, what they have looked like in other states and communities, and then what the community wants their possible agreements to look like,” says Angelle Bradford, chair of the Sierra Club Delta Chapter. “It’s the first opportunity for conversation and strategy.”
Community benefits agreements are legally binding contracts that can be negotiated between developers and community groups to secure commitments related to jobs, workforce development, environmental protections, infrastructure investments and other community priorities.Â
Bradford says the organizers are drawing on guidance from Jobs to Move America, a national advocacy group that has worked with communities around Hyundai facilities in Alabama and Georgia.
Thursday’s town hall also follows recent developments involving Hyundai’s air permit application. Earlier this year, Hyundai submitted revisions that included greater electrification measures and changes aimed at reducing emissions. Bradford characterized the company’s responsiveness as encouraging compared with other major industrial projects in Louisiana but said concerns remain.
These include requests for more information from Hyundai and government officials, questions about whether an environmental justice analysis will be part of the permitting process, and questions about potential displacement tied to the broader RiverPlex MegaPark development.
Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel has told Ascension Business Report the State of Louisiana has already acquired all the land needed for the project and that any ongoing relocation efforts are unconnected to the steel facility.
The event is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Prince Hall Lounge on Nolan Avenue. Get more information.
