The company has also previously refused to allow Sharon Lavigne & others with RISE ST. JAMES to go visit the grave sites, despite laws protecting this right — and so they plan to go out there again to honor their ancestors on Juneteenth (6/19). Per Thursday’s agreement, Formosa “will not conduct activities (including access to and from activity sites) within the Acadia site or the Buena Vista burial site, and will not  conduct activities that will impact the three anomaly sites on the Sunshine property that Plaintiffs have identified.”. PLEASE do the right thing — set up a meeting with RISE ST JAMES, put in place a moratorium in new industrial development and expansion projects, and take action now to stop this Formosa Plastics facility. They should listen to us, not just Formosa.”. Parks said in her statement that that project on the Mississippi River had already been pushed back. Earthjustice is representing RISE St. James, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Center for Biological Diversity, Healthy Gulf, No Waste Louisiana, Earthworks and the Sierra Club. ▪ Don’t sell ads against the story. We’ve learned so much about Formosa since the council approved this terrible project. COMMENTARY: RBG is gone. The group is involved in an ongoing fight to keep Formosa Plastics from building a $9.4B plastic manufacturing complex in St. James Parish. But all those activities can only be done under the conditions that Formosa “not conduct any activities within jurisdictional wetlands” and not conduct activities that might potentially desecrate graves.
Fifteen thousand of us said we don’t want it, and even Taiwan, where Formosa is from, won’t let it be built there. “FG had previously decided to defer the contractor dock until no earlier than 2/21,” she wrote. FG LA LLC hereby confirms that it is deferring such work until no earlier than February 1, 2021.”.
February 14, 2020, Siham Zniber, Earthjustice, (202) 667-7120, szniber@earthjustice.orgLauren Packard, Center for Biological Diversity, (650) 303-5645, lpackard@biologicaldiversity.org,Sharon Lavigne, RISE St. James, (225) 206-0900, sharonclavigne@gmail.comAnne Rolfes, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, (504) 452-4909, anne@labucketbrigade.org, Appeal Challenges Louisiana’s Air Permits for Formosa Plastics’ Massive Petrochemical Complex in Cancer Alley, State Permit Failed to Address Increased Pollution, Disproportionate Racial Impacts, Contribution to Climate Change. With over 100,000 employees worldwide, Formosa Plastics Group operates three existing Louisiana facilities with 410 employees in East Baton Rouge and Pointe Coupee parishes. National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. “Using our oversupply of fracked gas to create products that add to the plastic pollution crisis is appalling.

P.O. Watch the full EJPN webinar with Diane Wilson & Sharon Lavigne here: This is an administrative account for UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE). We will act to protect the people of Louisiana since the state has clearly failed to do so.”, “Louisiana violated the Clean Air Act when it gave Formosa the greenlight to double toxic air pollution in St. James,” said Corinne Van Dalen, an attorney at Earthjustice. As a person of faith and conscience with the Unitarian Universalist church, I am compelled to reach out in solidarity with the organization RISE ST. JAMES  and the Parish residents who are directly impacted by the damage that would be caused by Formosa. Formosa will be able to continue with some site preparation, including “. This area is already known as Cancer Alley or Death Alley because of health problems related to industrial pollution pollutants that are highly dangerous to the environment and the surrounding communities. “In December, we asked [St. James Parish Council] to rescind the vote [to allow the facility] because of these burial sites and we haven’t heard back. “. I’ve seen the damage Formosa does to the environment.”. Formosa Petrochemical Corp. plans to build a $9.4 billion chemical manufacturing complex in St. James Parish. The state’s environmental-quality department received more than 15,500 comments from residents opposing the project, which would dump 800 tons of toxic pollution into the air each year, doubling toxic air emissions in St. James Parish and more than tripling the levels of cancer-causing chemicals in the region. ▪ You must give Louisiana Illuminator credit, including https://lailluminator.com and author. But all those activities can only be done under the conditions that Formosa “not conduct any activities within jurisdictional wetlands” and not conduct activities that might potentially desecrate graves. Parks said in a July 15 email that Formosa had identified two sites — Buena Vista Plantation and Acadia Plantation —  that potentially included graves but had determined that only the Buena Vista site actually included remains. Opponents to the project describe Thursday’s signed agreement as a significant development. The appeal was filed in the Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court.

“This permit approval is a new low for our state Department of Environmental Quality. You can watch the full webinar recording here. Rise St. James made that determination after finding anomalies — features inconsistent with agricultural use — on aerial photography maps. Those opponents had complained to a federal court in Washington, D.C., that Formosa should not have been granted construction permits for its Sunshine Project and that its planned project could desecrate graves and would irreparably harm the environment.

It would also emit more than 13 million tons of carbon pollution each year, the equivalent of emissions from 2.6 million cars. We stand with the local community in opposing this dangerous project.”, “The fight against Formosa’s polluting and unjust petrochemical complex is part of a growing national movement to address the triple threat of climate chaos, plastics pollution, and environmental racism, said Ethan Buckner, energy campaigner at Earthworks.“By issuing these permits to Formosa, LDEQ yet again acquiesced to the fossil fuel industry’s reckless plans to rapidly expand in the face of our worsening climate crisis. Production at the Louisiana complex will support a host of plastic goods, ranging from sports … Illuminator Podcast: Rebuild after Hurricane Laura? ▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credit to Louisiana Illuminator with the stories with which they originally appeared. Formosa calls its plans the Sunshine Project because it will be built near the Sunshine Bridge which spans the Mississippi River in St. James Parish. Formosa Plastics will not proceed with any major construction on a $9.4 billion plastics manufacturing complex it plans for the west bank of St. James Parish before February, according to a stipulation agreement it signed with the plant’s opponents Thursday. Formosa and the Center for Biological Diversity signed onto the agreement Thursday, a week after the center sought a temporary injunction on behalf of Rise St. James, Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Healthy Gulf, three Louisiana environmental groups. Karen Brammer (Manager of the UUA Green Sanctuary Program) how UUs could support her efforts, Sharon had some concrete requests: See below for Parish Council contact information, additional resources and a sample template. Respect Life. ▪ If you share the story on social media, please mention illuminatorLA on Twitter and louisianailluminator on Facebook. RISE is going to fight to save the lives of the people in our community. Today’s lawsuit follows a federal lawsuit the Center and Gulf groups filed last month challenging permits for the project issued by the Army Corps of Engineers. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Louisiana Illuminator. As investors sour on oil and gas companies, plastics are Big Oil’s lifeline. soil testing, utilities relocation, removal of Florida Gas pipeline” and expanding Highway 3127. However, a Formosa official argues that major construction would not have started before February anyway and says Formosa didn’t agree to do or agree to put off doing anything inconsistent with its plans. Employee Benefits.

JAMES and the Parish residents who are directly impacted by the damage that would be caused by Formosa. In addition to the shared Pulitzer, DeBerry has won awards from the Louisiana Bar Association for best trial coverage and awards from the New Orleans Press Club, the Louisiana/ Mississippi Associated Press and the National Association of Black Journalists for his columns. Formosa is proposing to build one of the world’s largest plants for turning fracked gas into plastic pellets, which would double the toxic air pollution in a largely African American community known as Cancer Alley because of health problems related to industrial pollution. Mike Foster enters hospice, New Orleans allows go-cups amid Phase 2 restrictions, Find/contact your state and federal lawmakers, Washington unites for the Great American Outdoors Act, Louisiana against, Louisiana plants claim COVID-19 makes it impossible to monitor pollution. Feel free, however, to publish it on a page with ads you’ve already sold.