Formosa Plastics has plans to bulldoze over a sacred slave burial ground in St. James Parish, Louisiana, pictured above for a new manufacturing complex that will cover the size of 80 football fields. Louisiana Bucket Brigade
A major plastics manufacturing complex planned for construction in a highly-polluted region of Louisiana may disrupt a historic slave burial site, The Intercept reports.
<p>Human remains and evidence of grave shafts were discovered earlier this year on land being developed by Formosa Plastics Group in St. James Parish in Louisiana. The plant could double the amount of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" rel="noopener noreferrer">air pollution</a> in the region and emit 13 million tons of carbon pollution each year. Many of the residents of St. James Parish, located in a stretch of the state known as "Cancer Alley," one of the most polluted stretches in America, say they are descended from slaves who worked on various plantations in the area. "That's sacred ground," activist and St. James Parish resident Sharon Lavigne told The Intercept. "They're saying they don't care about your ancestors. They're slapping us in the face." </p><h4>For a deeper dive:</h4><p><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=aef93e97a4&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">The Intercept</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Environmental Justice Activists Arrested Amid Growing Concerns Over Louisiana’s Cancer Alley Pollution
04 November 2019
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Pastor Gregory Manning, with Justice and Beyond, a New Orleans based civil rights advocacy group, pinned to the ground while being handcuffed. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
Mounting concerns over pollution, public health and the expansion of the petrochemical industry came to a head when two activists were detained in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Oct. 30, the last day of a two-week protest against environmental racism in Louisiana's Cancer Alley.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzEzODMxMn0.cBppXnCySGzy00b238jj4yoa8OkA2teKuOmtUirUp6w/img.jpg?width=980" id="2b035" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0a027e86f0a00ef3b59ae1d9fdb7c572" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Police officer telling protesters that they need to clear the hallway outside of LABI's office in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Oct. 30. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>Pastor Gregory Manning, who is legally blind, and Sakura Kone were singled out by police for refusing to leave the hallway outside of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (<span style="background-color: initial;">LABI</span>) office where about 40 activists continued with an impromptu rally after being asked to leave. The group had hoped to confront <span style="background-color: initial;">LABI</span>'s head over the association's influence in state politics and regulations.</p><p>Kone was given a citation and released outside, while Manning was taken to jail. According to a release from Manning's group Justice and Beyond, Pastor Manning, who is being charged with a felony count of inciting a riot and Kone will be arraigned on Nov. 5 in Baton Rouge City Court.</p><p>The police officers' actions infuriated members of the Coalition Against Death Alley (CADA), a group of Louisiana residents and members of various local and state organizations behind the protest. The coalition focuses on fighting against and bringing attention to the petrochemical industry's expansion that is underway in Louisiana.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0f557ce64f0a61ee345bf470371fb8b6"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PaS8p52_U2E?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><em>Robert Taylor and Pastor Manning speaking before Manning was detained.<em> Julie Dermansky / DeSmog</em></em></p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5e6ead46a69ac3526d5aec80e4c5c906"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R3CGzGAfgEI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><em>Pastor Manning and Sakura Kone being detained. <em>Julie Dermansky / DeSmog</em></em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/louisiana-cancer-alley-communities-gulf-petrochemical-pollution" target="_blank">Louisiana's Cancer Alley</a>, also known as the "Petrochemical Corridor," is an 80-mile stretch along the Mississippi River with over 100 petrochemical plants and refineries between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Louisiana government is welcoming an increasing number of industrial facilities to this corridor in primarily African-American communities.</p>
Seeking Environmental Justice for Cancer Alley
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQxNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDk4NTU1Nn0.uYLg_tLkYzKbfBF05wp5kj6z8C_Gx3i1WfqlLxNYqak/img.jpg?width=980" id="fcb8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ba18007e6d7a72834134711ae188868d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Sharon Lavigne, a lifelong resident of St. James Parish, marching with CADA in downtown Baton Rouge on Oct. 30. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>CADA's protest focused in large part on the struggles of the communities in St. James and St. John the Baptist Parish, both on the Mississippi River's banks and both frontline battlegrounds for environmental justice in the shadow of heavy industry.</p><p>Sharon Lavigne, <span style="background-color: initial;">CADA</span> member and founder of <span style="background-color: initial;">RISE</span> St. James, a community organization opposing the Taiwanese-owned Formosa plastic manufacturing complex proposed in St. James, was shaken after police violently took down Pastor Manning a few feet away from her. "Why are they arresting Rev. Manning, who is trying to protect us, instead of the polluters who are poisoning us?" asked Lavigne later that day on a call announcing Manning's release from jail.</p><p>CADA member Robert Taylor, director of the Concerned Citizens of St. John, is fighting for an existing polluter in his community to lower its emissions or close. His group is pushing the Denka Performance Elastomer plant to lower its emissions of the toxic chemical chloroprene to the level deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjYwMDM3OH0.QelzQIaU69GXAoWvJIzoeoEww_sVuE-kwCR1RX4YHyo/img.jpg?width=980" id="619fe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b3539a672411787c067c201a83706e7d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Robert Taylor on a street in downtown Baton Rouge marching with CADA after Pastor Manning was detained. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQyMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDEzODI1MH0.g5PIqRGMKsFMuwPvvE0vZy1LzzD35uwKoKp3c5DtLeY/img.jpg?width=980" id="4ac24" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5402e2f93dc156557201273e3653bd17" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
CADA members on the street outside of the LABI office after Pastor Gregory Manning was taken away in a police car. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>Taylor was furious at the way the police handled Pastor Manning while detaining him. "They did their classical take down of that stubborn negro, with their knees in this man's back with him down on his face, helpless, handcuffed behind him, with their knees in his back, twisting his arms, and he's screaming," Taylor said to me, while the protesters regrouped at a park a few blocks away from the <span style="background-color: initial;">LABI</span> office.</p><p>Over the last two weeks, CADA marched and held protests at numerous locations in New Orleans and the river parishes, addressing diverse social issues plaguing Louisiana, from voter suppression to environmental justice. </p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzY2NjYxNn0.C-wPZMdEIxBkjrSVmXr3rQiRRNpegEfgHCauUWqN3v4/img.jpg?width=980" id="29a8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a4145e1b7f6a8df906b87c83681ff893" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Daryl Malek-Wiley, New Orleans Sierra Club representative, with CADA in Baton Rouge on the last day of its two week protest in front of the building where the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) has its office. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ0My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTIzNjgwOH0.rI09eUAIvLRactq8n6bBu8Vw-0E4V5V9cU6Brp-ElOU/img.jpg?width=980" id="c1460" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d86c30284bc4df905a565b005293a9f0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Cindy Russo, an environmental activist with CADA in Baton Rouge protesting in front of the building where the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) has its office near the state capitol. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
A New Plastics Complex in St. James
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ0Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTU5NDQyM30.z2W9oGrqPZe7bNW0Y5aaeWMtp00nbDSPvGVMdGRM3lE/img.jpg?width=980" id="416e1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="54591efa2350ef9e2a9fab8e0f996f04" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Sharon Lavigne with members of RISE St. James at the July 9 LDEQ permit hearing. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>While Lavigne and Taylor support the coalition's broader work, each remains focused on protecting their own communities. </p><p>If <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/12/13/formosa-plastics-plant-st-james-parish-louisiana-environmental-racism" target="_blank">the Formosa plastics complex</a> is built in St. James, Lavigne fears the already degraded air quality at her home, near several petrochemical plants and oil storage tanks, will become a death trap. Many of her neighbors have died of cancer and respiratory illnesses associated with the types of emissions released from the existing facilities.</p><p>This summer, Lavigne's activism helped turn out a large crowd opposed to Formosa's proposed $9.4 billion industrial complex, which is called the "Sunshine Project" due to its proximity to the nearby Sunshine Bridge.</p><p>At a July 9 Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (<span style="background-color: initial;">LDEQ</span>) public hearing, dozens spoke out against granting five air quality permits to Formosa. In addition, the agency received 15,000 comments against the project.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ1MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDk3MTQ1M30.2sOqLbXgs0pVXXbwKRQIR-wDGR-rzS9SRyKYQsNSbHU/img.jpg?width=980" id="54666" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3d96651d39c7b0b5a3d33a4e2c526874" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Gail Leboeuf, a St. James resident and member of both RISE St. James and CADA, protesting in front of Denka's synthetic rubber plant on Oct. 19. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>LDEQ's decision on the permits could come any day, but many do not expect a decision to be made public until after the upcoming runoff election for governor on Nov. 16. </p><p>Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, who has disappointed environmentalists with his <a href="https://youtu.be/4lHFzAEzU_E" target="_blank">ongoing climate science denial stance</a> and his readiness to <a href="http://gov.louisiana.gov/news/sunshine-project" target="_blank">welcome even more polluting industrial projects</a> to the state, is facing off with Republican businessman Eddie Rispone. </p><p>Though <span style="background-color: initial;">CADA</span> members expressed displeasure with Edwards <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/06/05/march-pollution-coalition-death-alley-louisiana-cancer-alley-governor" target="_blank">during a five day-long protest in June</a>, the group voiced support for him for governor over Rispone, a self-proclaimed Trump loyalist, over fears the latter would roll back already weak state environmental protections.</p>Air Pollution Concerns for Students in St. John the Baptist Parish
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDIwMjc5N30.mwXolTWFlv0oHJTRjrhRV5ZUxalbtgo4IanvHsOToBY/img.jpg?width=980" id="c911a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="533e800df916927b270463709c746bdf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Robert Taylor's daughter Tish, a member of the Concerned Citizens of St. John and CADA, on the fourth day of the coalition's two-week protest outside of the Fifth Ward Elementary School near Denka's plant. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>For years, Taylor's group has pleaded for regulators to require the Denka neoprene manufacturing plant in St. John the Baptist Parish to lower its emissions of chloroprene, a likely human carcinogen, to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter, the level the Environmental Protection Agency (<span style="background-color: initial;">EPA</span>) suggested as safe.</p><p>While the factory has greatly reduced chloroprene emissions, which previously registered over 700 times the EPA's suggested level, the levels remain higher than recommended.</p><p>As a result, the citizens group is now focused on protecting the community's children who attend school near the synthetic rubber plant. The group is demanding that the 400 students at the Fifth Ward Elementary School, about a quarter mile from the plant, be moved in the meantime.</p><p>This summer, the St. John the Baptist School Board discussed possibly relocating the students, but no concrete actions have materialized. </p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ1OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NTc0OTQ0M30.sSI1SLrkb9h7kd9NRzHOfZP0LXAe7ow0By_AUkT_yvI/img.jpg?width=980" id="49c99" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3a576d983e152a2acd80c1dd6c8ddc2f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Lydia Gerard, a member of the Concerned Citizens of St. John, giving Fifth Ward Elementary School students information for their parents during CADA's protest, with an invitation join the group for dinner. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>"The School Board has started the process of putting together a redistricting plan that could include moving students from Fifth Ward Elementary," Jennifer Bouquet told me on behalf of Patrick Sanders, the school board's president.</p><p>Taylor is frustrated the school board president hasn't committed to moving the children out in a timely fashion. Talk of developing a redistricting plan is not acceptable to him. He believes that such a plan could take years to finalize and the children should have already been moved out of harm's way. </p><p>A recent reading from the EPA's ongoing air monitoring outside the school showed a level over 20 times above the EPA's suggested level, which is not legally binding. "Anything higher than 0.2 is too high," said Wilma Subra, with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, who has been working with the Concerned Citizens group since its inception in 2016.</p><p>In 2016 the community became aware of the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/national-air-toxics-assessment" target="_blank">EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment</a>, which evaluates air contaminants and estimates health risks and found that residents near Denka's plant have a lifetime risk of cancer from air pollution 800 times above the national average. </p><p>Since that time the LDEQ and the state's health department have downplayed the health risks of chloroprene emissions. <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/07/18/epa-health-risks-chloroprene-denka-chemical-plant-st-john-the-baptist-parish-louisiana" target="_blank">Louisiana's state health officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry has stated</a> that the emissions do not present a health emergency and that the children at the Fifth Ward Elementary School are not in harm's way.</p><p>However, in July, the <a href="https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/waiting-to-die" target="_blank">University Network for Human Rights </a>released a health survey with findings that suggest cancer and illness levels are unusually high for those living close to the plant.</p><p>Though Denka disputed the report's findings, the governor's administration promised to conduct a "comprehensive study" to determine if people living near the plant have elevated rates of cancer.</p>Overcoming Obstacles
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ1OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5ODEzNTA4NH0.65nBw-OoGZ48Easy6W1Gr-ONgq3kgpMqLhRvvEl6ZdY/img.jpg?width=980" id="1c916" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="35aeab2c04d9a933c16af4d7cd1fedef" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Members of the Concerned Citizens of St. John march with CADA from the Fifth Ward Elementary School to the Denka Performance Elastomer plant on Oct. 19. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>Lavigne and Taylor have expressed gratitude to CADA members who have joined their communities' fight as well as disappointment that more river parish residents have not joined them. They told me that many community members won't speak out in public because they or someone in their family works in the petrochemical industry.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzAzNDczMn0.QNxFNtuDfXAss9WDjOaeIeCHFQbNkvAj8OaP2Xhnu6A/img.jpg?width=980" id="90e4d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="26bd74f61a03406f30a6bb92f68cf404" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Members of the Concerned Citizens of St. John join CADA for a rally in front of Denka's plant on Oct. 19. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p>Taylor's ongoing activism caught up to him on the sixth day of the sustained CADA protest. During a rally in front of the Denka Plant, he was overcome by the heat and taken by ambulance to a hospital for heat exhaustion. While recovering, Taylor, who recently turned 79, told me that he plans to fight as long as it takes until his community's children are safe. </p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDYwOTY2N30.ypVh7R5SAOeOT6RHmWGHZc1pTZ3OTKhGzoabr-XrOv4/img.jpg?width=980" id="0c391" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2ee0864efcbbb5f52e96a40bab51f436" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Robert Taylor, who suffered from heat exhaustion during a protest on Oct. 26, is helped off CADA's bus after receiving medical attention. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA1ODQ2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTAyNDczOX0.QN4XhE3KB8U3lANjpCfnVXCOZIWp9FMEVyJ7-xtY41E/img.jpg?width=980" id="ae5fa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2756be7502ac999dd707a0f0af588eb2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Robert Taylor, who suffered from heat exhaustion during a protest on Oct. 26, is helped off CADA's bus after receiving medical attention. Julie Dermansky / DeSmog
<p><span style="background-color: initial;">"</span>It is bad enough that we have breathed in this poison for decades without knowing it was a carcinogen," he told me from the hospital where he spent a night recovering, "but knowing how bad the air is and letting the children go to school so close to the plant is unacceptable."</p><p>"I will fight to move the children out of harm's way no matter the cost to me, because they are worth it," he said. </p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="77ee577742db984e4a7b35bb9723ce38"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ujpqQXTI-bo?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><em>Robert Taylor speaking at a CADA rally in front of Denka's plant. <em>Julie Dermansky / DeSmog</em></em></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/11/01/environmental-justice-arrests-louisiana-cancer-alley-pollution" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DeSmogBlog</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The possible site of Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical's ethane cracker plant along the Ohio River, as seen from Moundsville, West Virginia. Brittany Patterson / Ohio Valley ReSource
When it comes to the fossil fuel industry, we've all heard the promises before: new jobs, economic growth and happier communities, all thanks to their generosity and entrepreneurial spirit.
<p>If you're struggling or there aren't a whole lot of other options for work, it can all sound glowing and great.</p><p>But what they always fail to mention is that their business damages ecosystems, drives <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>, and fills our air and water with dangerous, carcinogenic chemicals. Which all have a way of transforming lives and communities for the long-term and in ways that don't exactly make great PR.</p><p>We know this because we've seen the same tragic story again and again: fossil fuels and petrochemicals causing disastrous health outcomes for normal Americans just trying to live their lives.</p><p>In particular, in southern Louisiana along an 85-mile corridor of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, petrochemical plants are causing some of the nation's highest cancer rates. There are important lessons to be learned from this area, infamously dubbed "Cancer Alley." Especially as the fossil fuel industry plans to invest more than $200 billion in new petrochemical facilities across the U.S. in the coming years.</p><p>To understand this issue, it's worth a quick recap on petrochemicals and the problems they create. What are petrochemicals, how are they used, and what problems can they cause? Read on for answers. </p><h3>The Truth About Petrochemicals </h3><p>Put simply, the term "petrochemical" encompasses several different chemical compounds derived from fossil fuels, most commonly oil and natural gas. These chemicals are produced by applying extreme temperatures and pressures to the fossil fuel used in order to extract them. How extreme? <a href="https://www.afpm.org/petrochemicals/" target="_blank">We're talking</a> temperatures of over 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures of over 1,000 pounds per square inch (PSI).</p><p>And what is all this heat and pressure for? In essence, <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-different-types-of-Petrochemicals" target="_blank">petrochemicals are used to create</a> plastics, dyes, fertilizers and other synthetic compounds for various industries.</p><p>You may be asking yourself, "So what? What's the big deal here? Why do I need to worry about all this stuff?"</p><p>The answer is simple: If you're concerned about climate change and human health, you need to worry about petrochemicals.</p><p>The truth is, there's no way to produce these compounds without burning an incredible amount of fossil fuels. More investment in petrochemical facilities means more climate change from multiple sources, and critically, more plastics.</p><p>Today, a lot of petrochemical investment is going into to building multiple <a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/ethane-cracker-plants-what-are-they" target="_blank">ethane cracker plants</a>. These plants separate ethane from natural gas through the heat and pressure process described above. Plants then use it to create ethylene, one of the major building blocks used in making plastics. Not only does this process involve burning fossil fuels, but the end result is another kind of pollution.</p><p>Increasing investment in these facilities will not only deepen our reliance on fossil fuels; it'll also increase the amount of plastics that end up in our oceans—at a time when we should instead be concentrating on <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2018/05/need-some-good-news-clean-energy-winning" target="_blank">alternatives like clean energy</a>.</p><p>Yet, the petrochemical and fossil fuel industries keep finding ways to lock us into their products and business. And the story only gets more frustrating from there. Because beyond even the threat they pose to our climate and the future health of the planet, petrochemical facilities are a significant danger to human health.</p><p>We already know <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/issues/fracking/environmental-impacts-water/" target="_blank">the threats to regional watersheds from hydraulic fracturing (fracking</a>), including soil erosion, groundwater pollution, and drinking water contamination. But we should also recognize that the danger doesn't stop once natural gas leaves the ground. For example, multiple studies have shown that petrochemical facilities that use natural gas expose employees—as well as surrounding communities—<a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/sites/default/files/ib_1702_fracking-plastic-web.pdf" target="_blank">to multiple toxins that are incredibly damaging to their health</a>.</p><p>The results are clear. Research shows that people living and working in and near petrochemical facilities <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/11/04/erasing-mossville-how-pollution-killed-a-louisiana-town/" target="_blank">can have higher rates of cancer, diabetes, various skin conditions, respiratory problems and other life-altering diseases</a>. In some cases, rates of toxic chemicals and carcinogens <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/11/04/erasing-mossville-how-pollution-killed-a-louisiana-town/" target="_blank">found among people living by plants</a> have been as high as three times the national average.</p><p>So, what can we learn from all of this beyond the fact that this industry is bad for our bodies and our planet? Here are a few key takeaways:</p><h3>1. The Industry Knows It's Causing Harm</h3><p>In multiple communities along Louisiana's "Cancer Alley," these problems have gotten so big that the petrochemical industry has <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/11/04/erasing-mossville-how-pollution-killed-a-louisiana-town/" target="_blank">issued buyouts for residents' homes</a>. In some ways that could sound like a kind of victory, as families may have the ability to relocate. But what we know is that the damages caused have been so significant that, even if they move, people will likely be dealing with ongoing health issues for the rest of their lives.</p><p>Moreover, as their friends, neighbors, and relatives have gotten sick and even died, people in Cancer Alley and similar areas are left dealing with not only a loss of life, but also, the loss of community. Even so, the interests behind petrochemical investment keep pushing forward. With one hand they offer a too-late "solution," and with the other, ever-more money to keep harming people and the planet.</p><h3>2. These Damages Can Be Exacerbated by Natural Disasters Such as Floods</h3><p>If it's not bad enough that these facilities release dangerous pollutants, some plants are also creating "<a href="http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/reports/preparing-for-the-next-storm/" target="_blank">pollution dumps</a>" following major rainfall events storms and floods, putting surrounding communities at even greater risk.</p><p>During power outages or flooding at plants, some safety features may turn off without warning. If operations are not shut down quickly or efficiently enough, the result can be increased pollutants entering the air. Plus, flooding can wash even more pollution into nearby lakes, rivers, and even groundwater.</p><p>And as climate change has actually been shown to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/09/11/646313648/climate-change-drives-bigger-wetter-storms-storms-like-florence" target="_blank">make storms more frequent and severe</a>, these risks will likely only get worse as time goes on.</p><h3>3. There's Legal Precedent for Fighting Fracking</h3><p>All of his sounds terrible, we know, but we do have some good news. The (super) simple version of how fracking works is that companies force chemicals into the ground at such high pressures that it cracks the Earth's crust, releasing gas trapped below. Companies can only frack on land where they own the legal right to what's under the ground (known as "mineral rights"). The danger is that the cracks they make can spread and allow toxic chemicals to leach into soil and groundwater far beyond the fracking site.</p><p>Now the good news. In a recent court decision, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060091449" target="_blank">Pennsylvania judges ruled</a> that companies have to contain these cracks to avoid trespassing on other properties where they do not possess mineral rights. This sets a powerful precedent to make the case that mineral rights in one area <em>should not </em>mean that fracking companies and their partners can pollute or alter ecosystems with abandon. More importantly, this victory in the courts should increase momentum for other legal action against polluters and the broader fossil fuel industry.</p><h3>4. Organized Communities Have the Power to Fight Back</h3><p>Here's an infuriating fact: the fossil fuel industry often actively seeks to work in poorer communities <a href="https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2016/06/06/dont-frack-the-rich-comment-puts-focus-on-environmental-justice/" target="_blank">because they know</a> wealthier ones have the resources and will to fight them. The wealthy interests behind these investments don't want these toxic chemicals in their own backyard – but yours will do just fine.</p><p>Environmental injustice has a long history in this country. Chemical plants and other toxic facilities have always been built in modest-income communities and, especially, communities of color.</p><p>But there's good news here too.</p><p>You see, we know that there is power in community action. When people stand together and work across boundaries to fight for change, their collective action can be a powerful force. Those buyouts we described in Cancer Alley? They happened because people in those communities joined forces to fight together for compensation.</p><p>Communities all over that 85-mile stretch of Louisiana are still fighting the good fight. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMnn-Ymqb_I" target="_blank">They're calling for</a> reductions in emissions, mandatory monitoring systems, and improved safety features and management.</p><p>Change is hard. But it's also very possible. And we believe this fight is winnable.</p><h3>Taking on Petrochemicals in the Ohio River Valley</h3><p>We can't give up on the fight to clean up the petrochemical corridor of Louisiana. We also can't ignore the lessons we've learned there.</p><p>Right now, the petrochemical industry is eyeing the Ohio River Valley—a region spanning southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, West Virginia and east Kentucky—as a site for massive investments in new facilities and ethane cracker plants. We can't let this region turn into a second Cancer Alley.</p><p>The fight has already begun. Right now, The Climate Reality Project is mobilizing communities, organizations, activists, and policymakers across the region to stand up to oppose these developments and protect people and our planet.</p><p>And if you're reading this, we need your help!</p><p>If you live in the Ohio River Valley, in particular, there are many ways you can take action:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Join <a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/chapters" target="_blank">a local Climate Reality chapter</a>;</li><li>Attend one of our <a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/training" target="_blank">upcoming activist trainings</a>;</li><li>Speak up to oppose these plants at a public hearing; or</li><li>Talk to your friends and family about this danger to their health and climate – and share how they can join you in fighting back.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/chapters" target="_blank">We can win this! But we need you to join us.</a></p>
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Exxon Refinery Catches Fire Day After Government Settles Over Pollution From Other Gulf Plants
02 November 2017
Energy
Exxon Mobil refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0
By Julie Dermansky
Early morning skies Wednesday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were alight from a fire that started around 2:30 a.m. at an ExxonMobil refinery. The blaze, though contained before the sun came up, is a reminder to the surrounding community of yet another danger of living next to refineries and chemical plants.
Exxon's refinery is located along the stretch of Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans known as "Cancer Alley" due to the high number of chemical plants and refineries—and illnesses possibly connected to emissions—along the river's banks.
<p style="">Exxon issued a statement to <a href="http://www.wafb.com/story/36733461/unplanned-fire-at-exxonmobil-in-baton-rouge-sends-large-flames-smoke-into-the-air" target="_blank">CBS affiliate WAFB</a> while the fire smoldered, saying the community was not impacted by emissions from the refinery fire and that air quality readings were "below detectable limits."</p><p style="">Mary Lee Orr, executive director of <a href="https://leanweb.org/" target="_blank">The Louisiana Environmental Action Network</a> (LEAN), questions the possibility of making such a determination so fast. Her group has been working with Cancer Alley communities, helping to reduce their exposure to pollution from the area's oil and petrochemical industry.</p><p style="">Exxon's Baton Rouge refinery is adjacent to one of the company's eight facilities named in a settlement <a href="https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/exxon-mobil-corporationexxonmobil-oil-corporation-clean-air-act-settlement" target="_blank">reached with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</a> and the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/under-agreement-justice-department-and-environmental-protection-agency-exxonmobil-reduce" target="_blank">Department of Justice (DOJ)</a> and announced Oct. 31. </p><p style="">Last year LEAN filed a <a href="https://leanweb.org/uncategorized/lean-sues-exxonmobil-unresolved-air-pollution/" target="_blank">lawsuit against an Exxon</a> chemical facility in Baton Rouge, next to the refinery that caught on fire Wednesday. That suit alleges the facility has been violating the Clean Air Act by failing to report pollution releases correctly. Lisa Jordan, director of Tulane University's Environmental Legal Clinic and representing LEAN in this case, said it is too early to say how the recent agreement between the federal government and Exxon will impact their own case. Jordan said LEAN's case encompasses a broader range of issues than those in the one recently settled.</p><p style=""><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/under-agreement-justice-department-and-environmental-protection-agency-exxonmobil-reduce" target="_blank">According to the DOJ</a>, the settlement "resolves allegations that ExxonMobil violated the Clean Air Act by failing to properly operate and monitor industrial flares at their petrochemical facilities, which resulted in excess emissions of harmful air pollution."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="88888" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ADFP851576663000"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="925772596003688448" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Exxon Settles Air Pollution Lawsuit, Will Pay $2.5 Million in Fines, $300 Million for Technology Upgrades https://t.co/VagH3bwonE @350</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/925772596003688448">1509556361.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">It requires Exxon to install and operate air pollution control and monitoring technology to reduce air pollution from 26 industrial flares at five facilities in Texas and three in Louisiana, at a cost of about $300 million. In addition, the company must pay a civil penalty of $2.5 million.<br><br>Some environmental groups have described the fines as a slap on the wrist, but LEAN'S technical adviser Wilma Subra believes the settlement is substantial. "The amount of money to be spent on air pollution improvements is a positive step in the right direction," she told me.</p><p style="">However, Subra is concerned that the air pollution monitoring devices in the agreement will only monitor <a href="http://www.who.int/ipcs/features/benzene.pdf" target="_blank">benzene, which is known to cause cancer</a>. In her view, Exxon should be required to monitor a whole host of other potentially harmful chemicals it is emitting. <br><br>The instances of pollution cited in the recently settled suit do not include emissions from any of Exxon's Texas facilities affected by Hurricane Harvey. Subra pointed out that the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/28/news/companies/exxon-refinery-baytown-harvey-damage/index.html" target="_blank">pollution incidents at Texas refineries</a> and chemical facilities following the hurricane show that industry has no method for controlling pollution when hurricanes hit, something she hopes industry will change soon.</p><p style="">Exxon's Baytown, Texas, operation was among the eight industrial facilities included in the recent settlement. It was also one of the plants that reported pollution releases due to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-harvey">Hurricane Harvey</a>. In this case, the refinery's roof sank due to the storm's heavy rains, which resulted in the release of hazardous gases—including volatile organic compounds and benzene above permitted levels, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/climate/clean-power-plan.html" target="_blank">according to the New York Times</a>. </p><p style="">Or also sees the agreement between Exxon and the Trump administration as a positive step toward protecting Cancer Alley communities. But "sadly, in the short term, the agreement won't help the community," she told me. "It will take time to implement the new pollution reduction devices."</p><p style="">And though EPA Administrator <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/scott-pruitt" target="_blank">Scott Pruitt</a> <a href="https://leanweb.org/uncategorized/lean-sues-exxonmobil-unresolved-air-pollution/" target="_blank">stated that</a> "this agreement shows, EPA is dedicated to partnering with states to address critical environmental issues and improving compliance in the regulated community to prevent future violations of the law," the agency under Trump has been racing to undo its previous work. Recently Pruitt announced a measure to repeal former President Barack Obama's EPA policy to curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, a plan Trump's <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/01/trumps-epa-says-obamas-climate-rule-could-prevent-up-to-4500-deaths-annually-moves-to-scrap-it/?utm_term=.7baa186ae0e3" target="_blank">EPA has concluded would have substantial health benefits</a>. </p><p style="">Furthermore, a list of potential names for the agency's Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee includes a sizable increase in industry representatives and consultants, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/09/22/epa-science-exxon-mobil-climate-change/" target="_blank">as reported by the Intercept</a>. On that list are two scientists who have worked for Exxon, indicating the oil and gas giant could have greater influence over EPA science and policies in the future. </p><p style=""> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/11/01/exxon-refinery-fire-epa-pollution-gulf-louisiana" target="_blank">DeSmogBlog</a>.</em></p>
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