living next to heavy industry

 Louisiana just adding to the number of historically black communities that have become extinct due to the intrusion of infrastructure projects, heavy industrial use, and petrochemical industries

Update from our friends and neighbors in St James

“Once again, the state of Louisiana prioritizes polluters over people, but this battle extends beyond Louisiana. We stand at the forefront of climate change, embodying America's authentic struggle for climate and environmental justice.  Living next to Formosa Plastics, with the perpetual risk to our health, livelihood, security and hard-earned property is beyond our imagination. Formosa Plastics would wipe the 5th district of St. James off the map, adding to the number of historically black communities that have become extinct due to the intrusion of petrochemical industries."

https://mailchi.mp/garywatsonllc.com/milestone-victory-in-protecting-free-speech-and-the-right-of-assembly-in-cancer-alley-and-the-american-south-10435348?e=294162b837

https://risestjames.org/media

NO PONO

 

SOS Save Our St Bernard SOS Save Our St Bernard

this massive facility does not belong in St Bernard Parish  this massive facility does not belong in St Bernard

Newly released report for international ports with intermodal container and rail terminals in Louisiana 

Critical Development Issues Overview by Vickerman and Associates, LLC

Public health, safety, welfare, environmental compliance, and environmental justice should be of paramount concern in addressing port development sites and operating scenarios for future Southeast Louisiana port development. Louisiana port stakeholders and the citizens of Louisiana expect these issues to be addressed thoroughly. 

• The context of significant port development going forward should encompass the entire southeast Louisiana region, and clearly include the future prospects of other proposed prominent Louisiana public ports in southern Louisiana. 

• It would be a mistake to approach the future of a major strategic port plan and distribution hub in Louisiana with a theme of one site or region to be considered to the exclusion of all others. 

• A realistic statewide strategic master plan of mega port development for the State seems logical and it should begin with deliberate planning that blends the values and objectives of Louisiana’s citizens and marine industry stakeholders/investors/operators in a creative, yet pragmatic port development proactive planning process. 

• What is needed is deliberate value-added inspired planning of future port infrastructure development that rigidly follows a discipline of blending and leveraging the State’s desire for environmental quality of life values with the State’s interests in quality economic development. Such a port planning exercise could lead to a national best in class model for large multi-modal port transportation infrastructure development programing in the U.S. 

massive facility does not belong in St Bernard

 

No More Night Trains

 

https://www.nola.com/opinions/letters-louisiana-international-terminal-benefits-no-one/article_eafe98da-a9a4-11ee-aee1-bb3c47c66d29.html

Chemical of the Month

 From Our Neighbors and Friends upriver in St James Parish

As St Bernard Parish Council approves zoning changes to transform Florissant Highway to a heavy industrial corridor, it paves over paradise to accommodate requests for more methane pipelines and compressor stations, while still struggling to complete marsh and wetlands restoration in the same general areas. As the proliferation of methane extraction, processing, and export continues in Louisiana and Texas, we should at least try to understand that Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has more than 80 times the power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Methane currently makes up about 16% of all greenhouse gas emissions, it is responsible for between 20-30% of all global warming.

That is the legacy we are leaving our grandchildren with  -- all in the name of exports and tax revenue.

CHEMICAL OF THE MONTH - Methane

By Caitlion O. Hunter, Esq.

A service program of RISE St. James; Caitlion O. Hunter, Esq.; Tim Schütz, PhD Researcher, Anthropology University of California, Irvine; and The Community Scientist (TCS) Research Team

At this year’s COP28, the United Nations’ annual climate conference, reducing methane emissions has been a hot topic of discussion for countries around the world. Fossil fuel companies pledged to reduce methane from pipeline leaks, using technology like satellites or drones to detect these rogue methane emissions. EPA announced new rules this month that also are estimated to stop methane from leaking into the atmosphere from leaks and flaring. In Louisiana alone, industrial facilities and oil and gas operations leaked and flared enough methane to power all the houses in Baton Rouge for one year! While stopping leaks is important, neither of these rules addresses the source of these methane emissions- mining, drilling, and burning fossil fuels. And neither the United States, by far the largest emitter of methane from oil and gas, nor China, by far the largest emitter of methane from coal, have meaningfully reduced their consumption or production of fossil fuels.

https://risestjames.org/methane

Public Participation in EPA decisions

 

EPA Seeks Comment on Draft Policy for Public Participation in Agency Decision-Making Processes

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the draft policy, Achieving Health and Environmental Protection Through EPA’s Meaningful Involvement Policy, that outlines updates on how the Agency will engage with the public and provide meaningful public involvement in all of its programs and regions. This policy is grounded in the acknowledgment that EPA's actions further strengthen health and environmental protections when they are informed by individuals with lived experience.

 

This draft policy updates EPA’s 2003 Public Involvement Policy, and incorporates lessons learned over the past twenty years as it has worked to promote an agency-wide approach to providing meaningful involvement opportunities. EPA will apply the draft policy to all national program and regional actions that may benefit from public input. The draft policy describes 3 steps for meaningful involvement:

 

• Identifying the decision(s) in an EPA action that may be influenced by public input,
• Using the public participation spectrum, and
• Using the public participation model.

 

The draft policy will be available for a 60-day public comment period, ending on January 16, 2024.

 

Tribes may request consultation regarding this policy by January 5, 2024, by visiting EPA’s Tribal Consultation Tracking Opportunities System (TCOTS) website.

 

Comments can be submitted via:

 

• Emailing: MeaningfulInvolvementPolicy@epa.gov;
• Submit the contact us form: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/forms/epas-meaningful-involvement-policy-public-comment-submission 
• The draft policy docket: EPA-HQ-OEJECR-2023-0326 at www.regulations.gov. 

 

Learn more: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/epas-meaningful-involvement-policy

 

Questions: Please contact MeaningfulInvolvementPolicy@epa.gov.

 

The draft policy advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment for meaningful engagement with the people the Federal Government serves. Additionally, it builds on upon President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985, 13990, and 14008 to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis.

 

Background

In 1981, recognizing the requirements for meaningful public engagement in authorizing statutes and executive orders, EPA issued its Public Participation Policy, addressing public participation in decision-making, rulemaking, and program implementation by the Agency and entities carrying out EPA programs. In 2003, the Agency published its updated Public Involvement Policy, resulting from the multi-year effort of the cross-agency “Review of EPA Public Participation Policies” Workgroup established in 1999. EPA had success with hosting regular meetings of a cross-agency community of practice, building a web portal, developing training, publishing a newsletter, documenting case studies, and collecting information on customer satisfaction.

 

Although this document does not create new requirements or mandatory obligations for EPA, the recommendations finalized in the policy will provide the public with meaningful involvement opportunities for program and regional needs. EPA seeks to collaborate with all segments of the public on this policy.

This is a message from the EPA-EJ Listserve.  This is a moderated listserve.  Postings are done by the US EPA's Office of Environmental Justice.  To send a message for posting, send it to environmental-justice-epa@epa.gov.

YOUR VOICE. YOUR VOTE

 GET OUT AND VOTE

Online Voter Registration Deadline October 28
Louisiana Secretary of State R. Kyle Ardoin website 
https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/VoterRegistration

The St Bernard Parish Registrar of Voters staff invite residents to come out and register to vote! Register to Vote any weekday 8am - 4:30pm at Registrar of Voters Office 8201 W Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette, LA 

For the November 18 2023 Election

Candidate information:   https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/candidateinquiry

• The deadline to register to vote in person, by mail or at the OMV Office is Oct. 18.    

• The deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System is Oct. 28.

• Early voting is Nov. 3-11 (excluding Sunday, Nov. 5 and Friday Nov. 10 for Veterans Day) from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

• The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Nov. 14 by 4:30 p.m (other than military and overseas voters). You can request an absentee ballot online through our Voter Portal or in writing through your Registrar of Voters Office.

• The deadline for a registrar of voters to receive a voted absentee ballot is Nov. 17 by 4:30 p.m. (other than military and overseas voters).

• On election day, the polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
• To find your polling place https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/

For More Information Contact your local ROV in the Government Complex Building

Louisiana Elections Hotline Number is 1.800.883.2805

Benzene levels PBF Energy Chalmette

 EPA's Dashboard Tools for Benzene fence line monitors are available HERE

Select Refinery Name for data.

Under EPA's "Refinery Rules" fence line monitoring data for benzene is reported to the EPA in two week averages for each monitor and also reported in facility wide annual rolling averages. There is no public access to real-time monitoring data and no requirement for community alerts.

On the EPA Dashboard website on the lower right, select the tool monitors  for displays of the physical location of each monitor at the selected refinery. Switch to the tool to monitoring trend for display of the two week averages for each monitor at a facility.

For the 2nd Quarter 2023 at PBF Energy's refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, the EPA monitoring trend tool indicates numerous two week averages benzene above the EPA "action level" of 9 ug/m3.

One monitor at PBF Energy Chalmette is displayed with 120 ug/m3 as a two week average for the time frame ending May 17 2023.

For more information on the EPA Benzene Fenceline Monitoring Program

https://awsedap.epa.gov/public/extensions/Fenceline_Monitoring/Fenceline_Monitoring.html?sheet=background