'Communities of color have a right to clean air': RISE St. James wins its fight against Formosa

Frontline community leaders are racking up wins against polluters in the heart of what’s known as Cancer Alley in Louisiana. Last Week, South Louisiana Methanol’s planned petrochemical facility to be built in St. James Parish was declared dead thanks to the state refusing to move forward with an application review on the project, which would’ve generated more than 2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually had it been built. On Wednesday, St. James Parish leaders scored another key victory—this time against Formosa Plastics, the multi-billion dollar company that RISE St. James has been fighting for years.

A ruling issued that day Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court vacated Formosa’s permits, citing numerous enforcement failures from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). LDEQ all but ignored the impact of dangerous emissions like benzene and ethylene oxide, which Formosa would emit at a level placing it near the top of all industrial emissions in the state and nation, respectively. Both are considered carcinogenic and would be a death sentence for a community already overburdened by polluters.