Document Ex9YMgyyg456goqXnkLOr5Lpb

IiU Sirel Denka Performance Elastomer LLC 560 Highway 44 LaPlace, LA 70068 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 11, 2018 Contact: Jim Harris Harris Deville & Associates jharris@hdaissues.com Phone: i Ex" ! i__________________ ' ________________ i Denka Performance Elastomer Begins Operation of Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) Unit at LaPlace Facility LaPlace, LA - Denka Performance Elastomer (Denka) began operating all the equipment by the end of 2017 specified in the Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) the company signed with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) on January 6, 2017. Included in the new emissions control technology is Denka's Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO), the most significant voluntary emissions reducing project undertaken by the company under the AOC. The RTO is one of four main projects in the AOC designed to significantly reduce chloroprene emissions from operations of the LaPlace facility. The equipment included in the four projects was installed at a cost of nearly $30 million. "We are pleased to have completed installation and started operation of all of our emission reduction projects," said Jorge Lavastida, Denka plant manager. "Our voluntary emissions reduction plan represents Denka's commitment to our community. We have followed through on a promise made to our neighbors, employees and the state of Louisiana. I want to congratulate our many employees and contractors who committed their time over the last year to making these four projects a reality." In addition to the RTO, these projects included installing a brine condenser on the poly kettles vent, a vacuum pump and vent condenser on the CD Refining Column and routing various emission sources to an existing combustion unit. Denka will continue to monitor ambient air concentration alongside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the first half of 2018 to determine the impact and effectiveness of its reduction efforts and track its progress. The company expects to see significant reductions in ambient concentrations of chloroprene measured over that period. - MORE - Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 3/4 ED 002061 00269304-00001 IiU Sirel Denka Performance Elastomer LLC 560 Highway 44 LaPlace, LA 70068 The LaPlace facility produces Neoprene, a product used in a wide variety of applications including laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces, electrical insulation and automotive parts. Denka purchased the Neoprene business at DuPont's Pontchartrain Works Site in late 2015. The Neoprene plant employs 235 full-time workers. More than 250 additional contractors were also employed to install the emissions reduction equipment. The emissions reduction projects were developed in response to an EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA] report published in December 2015 that suggested a high risk of health impacts in the area surrounding the LaPlace was published in December 2015, one month after Denka began to operate the facility. External experts and reviewers have disputed the report's findings and Denka has submitted information to the EPA in a formal Request for Correction of the underlying information. Since the NATA report was published, and throughout the process of reviewing and contesting the federal scientific information, Denka has voluntarily worked with EPA, LDEQ and parish officials to listen to and address the local community's concerns. Denka held community meetings with officials from regulatory agencies and St. John residents. For additional information on the company and the voluntary emissions reduction projects, visit Denka-pe.com. ### About Denka Performance Elastomer Denka Performance Elastomer LLC acquired DuPont's Neoprene manufacturing operations at the Pontchartrain Works site in LaPlace. Denka employs 235 individuals at the site and its new LaPlace, LA headquarters. Denka intends to make strategic investments in the LaPlace facility while adhering to a key Denka guideline to develop and supply products that are safe and environmentally friendly. Denka considers the careful handling of materials and products and the prevention of their unauthorized release into the environment as its most important mission as a chemical manufacturer. Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 3/4 ED 002061 00269304-00002