Industry Backlash to Grassroots Organizing in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley"
Jun 20, 2023
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Grassroots organizers in Louisiana's Cancer Alley are facing backlash from ExxonMobil, Chevron, and other petrochemical giants. They have formed a sustainability council to counter environmental justice activism. Pro-industry politicians and local Chambers of Commerce are joining forces. Jo Banner and Shamyra Lavigne, key organizers in the area, discuss the sudden industry opposition and the importance of grassroots efforts. The podcast also explores the success of grassroots activists, the challenges faced in preserving agricultural roots, and plans to counter the opposition through media outreach and campaigns.
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Quick takeaways
Big oil companies and industry groups are organizing a "sustainability council" in response to grassroots environmental justice activism in Louisiana's Cancer Alley.
Rise St. James and the Descendants Project criticize the hypocrisy of the sustainability council, which claims to focus on sustainability while being backed by big oil companies and industry groups.
Deep dives
The Fight Against Petrochemicals in Louisiana
The grassroots organization Rise St. James, founded by Sharon Levine, is fighting against the expansion and construction of petrochemical facilities in St. James Parish and Cancer Alley. They aim to protect the community's air, water, and soil and create a sustainable future for their children. Despite facing opposition from local leaders and politicians influenced by the petrochemical industries, Rise St. James has achieved victories, such as revoking permits for the Formosa petrochemical facility. The emergence of the Sustainability Council, led by big oil companies and industry groups, is a response to Rise St. James' success and focuses on discrediting and painting the push against petrochemicals as an effort by outsiders.
Personal Connections, Tourism, and Environmental Justice
Shamara Levine and Joe Banner, organizers for Rise St. James and the Descendants Project, respectively, share their personal connections to the St. James area and the impact of petrochemical industries on their community. They discuss their deep-rootedness in the area, growing up surrounded by agriculture and a close-knit community. Their love for their culture and heritage led them to work in the tourism industry, where they realized the exclusion of their own history and the connection between tourism and the petrochemical industry. Through the Descendants Project, they aim to engage descendants in sharing their own narratives and shift towards healthier, creative industries. They highlight the irony of having to access their history through plantation tourism and the lack of support for descendants from both the tourism industry and the petrochemical companies.
The Formation of the Sustainability Council
The Sustainability Council, formed in response to the rise of grassroots activism and the involvement of Bloomberg Philanthropies in the fight against petrochemicals, aims to combat the progress made by organizations like Rise St. James and the Descendants Project. However, Rise St. James and the Descendants Project see the council as a joke, believing it is a desperate attempt to discredit their work. They expose the hypocrisy of the council, which claims to be focused on sustainability while being backed by big oil companies and industry groups. The groups also criticize the council's attempts to label the movement against petrochemicals as driven by outsiders, highlighting the common goal of wanting clean air, water, and soil for present and future generations.
On the heels of several legal wins for grassroots organizers in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley," ExxonMobil, Chevron and other petrochemical giants are increasingly organizing against grassroots environmental justice activism in Louisiana. Industry is particularly targeting organizations and activists involved in the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign, which Michael Bloomberg recently infused with a large donation. The companies have joined with pro-industry politicians and local Chambers of Commerce to form a “sustainability council,” focused not on environmental sustainability but on the longevity of the petrochemical industry on Louisiana's Gulf Coast. Jo Banner of The Descendants Project and Shamyra Lavigne of RISE St. James, two key organizers in the area, join us to talk about why the industry is suddenly organizing against them.
Read more in The Guardian and Floodlight News exposé here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/04/cancer-alley-louisiana-environment-oil-industry-opposition