Environmental activists opposing a plastics manufacturing facility in Louisiana have been booked with a felony for “terrorizing” an oil and gas lobbyist by delivering a box of plastic pellets found as pollution in bays on the Texas coast... The charges stem from a plastic pollution awareness event in December called “Nurdlefest”, which focused on the impacts of an expansive petrochemical and plastics complex approved to be built by Formosa Plasticsin St James Parish... The offenses are punishable with up to 15 years in prison. The advocates’ lawyer, Pam Spees, with the Center for Constitutional Rights, said the charges have no merit and seem to be meant to discourage protesters. The complaint against the two activists alleges they intended to cause fear in dropping off a package at the residence of an unnamed oil and gas lobbyist, Spees said. The file folder contained plastic pellets and information about the harm they inflict on the environment and human health.

... Formosa has agreed to pay $50m to settle a lawsuit for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act by discharging plastic pellets into bays from its plant in Point Comfort, Texas. A spokesperson for the Formosa project, Janile Parks, said it was “unaware that this action was going to be taken by the Baton Rouge police department and had only heard second hand that deliveries of plastic pellets were made to several personal residences in the Baton Rouge area some months ago”.