BATON ROUGE — LSU has entered a partnership with Hyundai Steel for the South Korean company's $5.8 billion plant in Ascension Parish, a decision that local advocacy groups say will cause more harm than it will bring economic benefits. 

The LSU-Hyundai deal will be formally unveiled at a signing ceremony at the LSU Foundation Center for Philanthropy on Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. LSU says the partnership "will focus on efficiently manufacturing stronger, higher-quality steel and developing a long-term, skilled workforce pipeline for the industry."

Ashley Gaignard, the founder and director of Donaldsonville-based Rural Roots Louisiana, decried the expansion of Hyundai into Louisiana through deals with LSU and support from state leadership. 

"This is not economic growth. It's destruction," Gaignard said. "What concerns us most is a system where public resources, institutional partnerships, and political influence are strategically directed in ways that make community advocacy seem anti-progress."

Gaignard says that there are ongoing concerns about pollution, environmental health, property rights and quality of life that should be considered in the development of the site. She added that a development of the scale of the one in Modeste should involve "those most affected in the decision-making process."

"LSU failed to do its homework on Hyundai," Anne Rolfes, the Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, added in a statement. "The university is planning to announce a workforce development program with a corporation that has a track record of abusing its workforce."

Rolfes noted that Hyundai has been sued for their alleged use of forced labor of children and prisoners. 

"This partnership between LSU and Hyundai is shameful," she added.

Both Rural Roots and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade have filed multiple lawsuits against the Hyundai project, including one against the Ascension Parish government that alleges that deals were made in secret to expedite the approval process without consulting the community in which the project is being developed.