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A new ethane plant in Westlake, a joint venture between Lotte Chemical of South Korea and Houston-based Westlake Chemical, has reported consistently releasing more than the allowed amount of the same chemical into area waterways since opening last year.

Felix and other residents said they are simply asking for a cleaner environment in their community of Mossville. © 2020 The Society of Environmental Journalists.

". Contact Emmanuel Felton at emmanuel.felton@buzzfeed.com. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area and is sandwiched between Sulphur to the west and Westlake to the east.

First residents welcomed the jobs, Bennett said, but slowly the expanding number of chemical plants crept closer and closer to people’s homes. West Virginia currently has 10 such sites, but in order to be added to the list, the EPA must decide if the site is eligible and the state of West Virginia must agree with the listing. A fire had ignited at the nearby BioLab chlorine plant, which processes chlorine for swimming pools.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. The high level of pollution in this area have been the subject of studies by the US EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR study). All Rights Reserved. The so-called hazardous waste expert claimed to have a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey and a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Drexel University in Pennsylvania. It appears, however, that Sasol’s main motivation for the relocation effort is not to address residents’ health issue or pollution, but rather its interest in expanding its facilities. 'If I could have another life, I’d take it. "I'm pretty hopeful now," say Debra Ramirez, 55, who grew up in Mossville and who lost a sister at 45 of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease. An oil and gas processing plant is seen in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Aug. 28, 2020. Seizures, liver problems, a stroke, tremors, insomnia, fatigue, and depression plague him. “The cap is a Band-Aid over a bullet wound,” Brandon Richardson, the founder of Headwaters Defense, a local environmental group, says. As a centuries-old black community, contaminated and uprooted by petrochemical plants, comes to terms with the loss of its ancestral home, one man standing in the way of a plant's expansion refuses to give up. Mossvillie Environmental Action group [MEAN] webpage, CFP: Green Criminology Conference In London, Upcoming Green Crime Conference In London, “Visual” Green Criminology? Larry DeRoussel with the Lake Area Industry Alliance told 7 news that extensive studies by federal agencies have found no link between local industries and health problems. "As you can see in the showing we did walk along the streets in some of the areas that have been affected tremendously," said Felix. In Louisiana, Environmental advocates say they only know that more than 50 sites released pollutants in recent days. Though residents feel as if the EPA has been ignoring their issues for years,  Roy Seneca, the EPA Region 3 press officer, told Mother Jones that “EPA’s responsibility to Minden is no different than any other city,” which suggests that the agency doesn’t believe it has failed the town. Residents think their cancer problem is being ignored. My dad had cancer. "It's a very exciting moment," said Dorothy Felix, Vice President of Mossville Environmental Action Now (MEAN). It's us but for your ears. “We are trying to locate the companies’ people and identify responsible parties, and we will work with them to get cleanup people in,” he added. "The agencies and the plants have just turned their backs on this community," said Felix. SASOL’s proposed facility may spell the end for a 224-year-old community founded by freed slaves. ... Mossville, Louisiana is a predominantly African-American community on the shores of Lake Charles. It endured through the Civil … “However, technically that is not our determination.” In July, West Virginia Bureau of Public Health spokesman Toby Wagoner said the data does not support a cancer cluster in Minden. Mossville was once a self-sufficient haven for freed slaves amid the horrors of Jim Crow. These chemicals are killing us. Worse than that, however, was what she feared the hours spent in the area had done to her health: Both she and her husband had headaches, which lingered for days.

They themselves moved out of Mossville in 2010. Corman and others in the community began to pressure the EPA to return to their area, and finally, last  June, the agency went back to Minden to do more testing of the Shaffer Equipment site and Arbuckle Creek to determine if further action is required. A lot of people believed that because Caron was a fraud, “the work he was doing was subpar,” says Richardson. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR, drew the blood of 28 Mossville inhabitants, including LeBlanc. While no official action has been taken by governmental authorities with respect to the site, one of the involved companies, Sasol, has offered money for voluntary relocation efforts following discussions with MEAN. We can’t do it without the support of readers like you, and we need to give it everything we've got between now and November. – The Green Criminology Monthly #13 – September 2013, Special Critical Criminology Issue With New Green Crim Article. Bullard says Jackson has breathed new life into environmental justice since she took office last year. But through the CNN report, Mossville was able to voice their concerns to a much larger audience. Copyright ©2012. Dioxins are carcinogens. Michael Lynch "Allen LeBlanc Led a Vigorous Life as a young man growing up in Mossville, Louisiana. He had a sheet-rocking business, drove trucks, and worked at the Conoco oil refinery. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Without the power, Bullard says, African-Americans have borne the brunt of living near industry, landfills and hazardous facilities. All Rights Reserved. WESTLAKE, LA (KPLC) - The concerned voices of the Mossville community went national Wednesday night as CNN featured a special report on the Louisiana community's fear of becoming a "Toxic Town.". For more on the special CNN's special report, click on "Toxic Towns" to the right. Copyright © 2020 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Dramatic Photos Show The Damage Caused By Hurricane Laura.

Oil that contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs were used in the transformers and other equipment that was later disposed of into an abandoned mine site in Minden. Subra hopes that if she can get to the problem areas early and get the information out there, southwest Louisiana can avoid that kind of issue this time around. 'I’d like to do things for myself again — I’d give everything I’ve got for that.' And the industrialization is growing. // “Every single neighbor I’ve had has died of cancer,” Coffman told Mother Jones. Dr. Amjad, who passed away unexpectedly in August, believed there was a link between the contaminated site and cancers. Relocating residents of toxic communities is not without precedent. Mossville is a largely African-American community that is part of the Lake Charles Basin area in the southwestern portion of Louisiana. Dorothy Felix belongs to a local environmental group asking the government to intervene for health reasons. “After Katrina, they just pressure-washed the sidewalks and the roads like that was going to solve the problem.

Toxic Towns: 6 Cases of Polluted Places.