Lavigne credits her faith in God and her father’s role in the civil rights movement for inspiring her to stand up and fight back. From Lavigne’s yard, you can see the Mississippi River levee, which blocks her view of the river while protecting the area from flooding. Aside from added pollution, the truck traffic alone would destroy what little peace and quiet she still has left on her land. The environmental justice group says air, water and soil quality are already awful in…, Development Director, Louisiana Bucket Brigade The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is a 501(c)(3) environmental health and justice organization working with communities that neighbor the state’s oil refineries and chemical plants. Industrial developments have already taken a toll. After doing everything she could to raise awareness about why Formosa shouldn’t build its plastics plant in St. James, she is baffled by the state’s decision. “I saw the red birds.”, It is a rare thing to see red birds, she explained to me. ‘Nurdle Patrol’ survey finds plastic pellets on almost every Louisiana and Texas beach, Statement by Corinne Van Dalen, Earthjustice Attorney, to St. James Parish Council, 9/16/2020, Response to Formosa Plastics’ Letter Regarding RISE St. James and Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s Request to Rescind Parish Land Use Approval, LETTER: Formosa Plastics violating state COVID-19 guidelines, endangering local community, The Advocate: Our View: Nurdles are pollution, and a Bianca Spill cleanup should happen, Associated Press: Key air monitors offline after Laura hits Louisiana gas hub. Workers on Formosa Plastics Site Fail to Follow State and Federal COVID-19 Health Guidance. But in her adolescence, her father’s activism and current events made her fearful. Credit: All photos by Julie Dermansky for DeSmog, Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science, Clearing the PR pollution that clouds climate science, "Fossil-fuel companies have spent millions funding anti-global-warming think tanks, purposely creating a climate of doubt around the science. New petrochemical plant operations will simultaneously bring us closer to the tipping point in the climate crisis that scientists are desperately warning about, because they will be fed by the United States’ glut of fracked natural gas, which is a major driver of global warming. Sharon Lavigne at a protest in front of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality on December 10, 2019. But just about everyone you speak to has cancer or has family members with cancer, and can point to houses nearby and tell you the names of members of each household who either have cancer or died of it. Lavigne is determined to let people know what is happening to her small community. Lavigne and members of RISE showed up at every public meeting along the way, to make sure their objection was noted. Today it is Lavigne’s children who worry about her, because now she worries about receiving threats from industry supporters. Sharon Lavigne speaking at an appeal hearing of a permit granted to Wanhua at the St. James Parish Council Meeting on July 24, 2019. The nurdles, used to make plastic goods and sometimes found polluting the environment, were collected by Diane Wilson and others near a Formosa plant in Point Comfort, Texas, that discharged the pellets into waterways. “We can stop them with God on our side.” And though she wasn’t alone in her desire to stay, she felt alone in her belief that, with God’s help, the community could stop more polluting industry from coming. And the more Lavigne learned about her situation, the more powerless she felt. “He was all for the residents standing up and fighting back.” He died of a sudden respiratory illness in March 2018. Rev. She learned that LDEQ, the state regulatory agency tasked to protect them from environmental pollution, wasn’t policing industry the way she always assumed it did. Lavigne has evolved from a soft-spoken, shy, concerned citizen to an environmental justice warrior to be reckoned with. “I’m David and I’m going up [against] a big ol’ Goliath — and I'm going to win,” Lavigne told me before this week’s decision. She is ready for the next round in the fight to stop the plastics complex. There, members of Rise St. James, the Louisiana Bucket Bridge, and the Center for Biological Diversity called on the state regulator to deny Formosa the air permits it granted this week. She also showed me a couple of suitcases and boxes that she kept packed by her door in case she needed to get out fast or was able to find enough money to afford moving out. It stands out in its opulence, behind row after row of oil storage tanks, some part of the nation’s strategic oil reserve. Mayho’s family mixed with her newest friends, environmental activists easy to spot with their bright yellow RISE St. James T-shirts, stenciled with a likeness of Mayho and the text: “A true warrior gone home.”. Get the latest news and developments about the Bucket Brigade, our partner communities and our efforts to create a healthier, pollution-free future. Sharon Lavigne, a demure, 67-year-old recently retired special-ed teacher born and raised in St. James Parish, cried when she heard the news. Lavigne’s Goliath in this case is Formosa. And in the latest National Climate Assessment report, federal scientists warned that impacts to the region, such as worsening floods, heat waves, and sea level rise, will intensify as the globe continues to warm. There, she met members of the organization H.E.L.P. Each told me of their fear of being trapped if there were an accident or storm. I made a presentation to the Council in January calling attention to Formosa Plastics’ false assertion that it had reconfigured its site…, September 15, 2020 St. James Parish Council 5800 Hwy. No official health survey has calculated the number of incidences of illness associated with toxic emissions from refineries and petrochemical plants that line the river in any of the communities.

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