Critics praised the decision.
“The Army Corps has finally heard our pleas and understands our pain. With God’s help,
Formosa, based in
The Corps issued a permit in
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 environmental analysis and meaningful community outreach.”
The Corps needs "to thoroughly review areas of concern, particularly those with environmental justice implications,” Pinkham wrote.
Major construction has been on hold since the Corps agreed in November to reconsider its permit for the plants in Welcome, where the
Pinkham’s tweet and letter provide little detail about what procedures the Corps intends to use, said an emailed statement from FG LA. “The company will continue to work with the Corps as we receive more guidance on the additional evaluation and has no further comment at this time," it said.
The memo does not identify the Corps' commanding general. He is Lt. Gen.
One of the people who challenged the permit,
“Although it does not revoke the permit, it at least lays out the proper process for an adequate environmental review of the project, which the Corps failed to do before,” Simmonds said in an email.
© 2021 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source