June 15, 2020
FG Respectfully Declines Request for Ceremony on Unmarked Burial Site
Company Cites Safety Concerns
Vacherie, La. – FG is resuming preconstruction activity on the Sunshine Project site in St. James Parish this month after the Mississippi River receded to safe levels. Activity will resume with numerous work practices tailored for COVID-19 safety and based on guidelines provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including administering daily temperature checks of employees and contractors.
“The health and safety of our employees, the community and the environment are, and will continue to be, our top priorities during construction of The Sunshine Project,” said Janile Parks, Director of Community and Government Relations for FG.
In light of preconstruction activity resuming onsite, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, representing RISE St. James in legal action against FG, sent a letter requesting entry onto FG’s property on June 19 to hold a Juneteenth ceremony on an unmarked area of the site where remains were discovered.
“We recognize the sincerity of this request and the importance of acknowledging this historical and meaningful day for the African-American community, however FG must respectfully decline the site access request primarily due to safety concerns on an active construction site,” said Parks.
FG is respectful of the remains discovered on its property. With the oversight of and coordination by the appropriate governmental agencies, FG has respectfully and properly followed all procedures in researching and preserving the unmarked area.
It is important to note that despite assumptions that have been made about ancestral ties to the burial site, no archaeologist has been able to confirm the identity or ethnicity of the remains discovered on FG property. FG will continue to work with the appropriate agencies to conduct research on the property to learn more about the identities of the deceased persons and respectfully preserve the remains.
In addition to this further investigation, FG intends to follow the procedure set forth in Louisiana law to identify direct relations or descendants of the remains. This procedure will include public notice and the opportunity for local public input on the identities of the remains. Once this process is complete, FG will work with the State Archaeologist and any identified relatives to have the remains respectfully re-interred in a proper cemetery.
“FG is committed to the St. James community and to preserving its rich history and cultural resources,” concluded Parks.
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About FG LA LLC: FG LA LLC (FG) is a member of Formosa Plastics Group (Formosa), a Taiwanese based conglomerate founded in 1954. Formosa has over 100,000 employees worldwide with locations in the USA, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia. Formosa’s major businesses are oil refining, petrochemicals, plastics, fibers, textiles, electronics, energy, steel, transportation, machinery, healthcare and biotech.
The Sunshine Project is FG’s $9.4 billion industrial complex planned for St. James Parish. The project is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and 1,200 permanent jobs over the next eight years. In early January 2020, FG received the permits needed to begin construction of The Sunshine Project. Once constructed, the project will be one of the most innovative, single-site ethylene production complexes in the world and will make the plastic building blocks found in everyday products that help make our lives safer, healthier, cleaner and more efficient. FG’s products also help make life-saving PPE (personal protective equipment), including N95 and surgical masks needed in the fight against COVID-19. Demand for these products is expected to increase over time, and The Sunshine Project will continue to help meet that demand.