Objecting to a massive industrial expansion planned for Ascension Parish, residents will challenge Hyundai’s rushed and incomplete air permit application tonight at a public hearing before the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, just four days before the company’s planned groundbreaking on its Hyundai Steel facility. The facility, funded by millions of dollars of public money, is proposed for the west bank of Ascension Parish. The hearing will take place at 6:00pm at the Lemann Center in Donaldsonville (see this video for critiques of the air permit). The groundbreaking is scheduled for this Friday, September 4.

In rushing the RiverPlex MegaPark industrialization, the State of Louisiana has offered hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to Hyundai through a process that has been shrouded in secrecy and that residents and advocates believe has violated public notice and accountability provisions.

New Riskyriverplex.com informational website now live

“The families of Ascension Parish, especially Modeste, deserve more than a rushed hearing,” said Ashley Gaignard, President of Rural Roots Louisiana.  “Responsible development must be transparent, follow the law, protect our health, cultural heritage and provide enforceable benefits for the people already living here.  This hurried process does not allow meaningful public participation. Meetings held by Hyundai did not address the safety issues the community is concerned with, such as engaging in CCS and mis-reporting of local wind data.”

The Friday groundbreaking is moving forward even though the state’s Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Hyundai Steel remains under legal challenge, a preliminary bond authorization is being contested, Hyundai has not yet received the necessary permits, and the project faces public opposition to the threat that Hyundai and the RiverPlex MegaPark pose to Donaldsonville and the historic community of Modeste. Residents, scientists, and advocates point out that the groundbreaking is premature given that the facility does not even have its permit, including its air permit.  

“Breaking ground before Hyundai has received its air permit sends a dangerous message – that the decision has already been made and public participation is merely a formality,” said Ms. Gaignard.  

The massive amounts of public money and intense secrecy surrounding the project have created community resistance to Hyundai, a corporation based in South Korea. Among the concerns:

• Twenty-three non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)  signed by public officials  regarding the industrialization of Ascension Parish.
• Acknowledgement by the state that it never sought State Bond Commission approval and never published public notice of its Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Hyundai, an agreement that committed the state to grant hundreds of millions of public dollars to the project as well as more than $1 billion in tax exemptions.
• The August 20, 2026 public statement by Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment claiming that records are available to the public, even as his administration appealed a judge’s order to release non-disclosure agreements and other records pertaining to the industrialization of the west bank of Ascension Parish. The parish continues to refuse to provide those records.

As Hyundai, state, and parish officials prepare to break ground, local leaders have continued to advocate for responsible, legal development – not destruction – of the area.

“The state of Louisiana is giving our money away to some of the richest corporations on earth, and asking us to believe that it’s economic development,” said Anne Rolfes, Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. “What we have learned from our research into Hyundai is that these deals are sloppy, probably illegal,  and benefit Hyundai, not the people of Louisiana. I have no doubt that the so-called deals with these other corporations, including Meta and SpaceX, are also questionable and sell out the people of our state  – just like the Hyundai deal does. The good news is that there are thousands of people paying attention and mobilizing to stop this.”

This week’s events by Rural Roots Louisiana, Mt. Triumph Baptist Church, and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade include:

• Monday, August 31 – Court hearing regarding the viability of the Port of South Louisiana’s preliminary bond authorization for a dock for Hyundai’s exclusive use. The judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs Rural Roots Louisiana, Pastor Harry Joseph, and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. The organizations were represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and attorney Bill Quigley.
• Tuesday, September 1 – Public hearing regarding Hyundai’s air permit application.
• Launch of RiskyRiverPlex.com web site providing details on the state’s use of taxpayer money to fund Hyundai’s industrialization of the RiverPlex MegaPark.
• Friday, September 4th – Public statements regarding the Hyundai groundbreaking.

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