River Diversions and Destruction Give Us the Truth Give Us the Facts

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser joins opposition to LA CPRA two billion dollar diversion. 

The Advocate article by Mark Schleifstein at link

https://www.nola.com/news/politics/article_fda47b86-a2d5-11eb-9d97-cfaf61e2cbc6.html

At a recent St Bernard Parish Parish Council Meeting, Louisiana's Lt Governor cited the absurdity of Congress to change the marine mammal act in 2018;  instead of studying the effects of the diversions, congress passed a waiver; they will not conduct a study and instead will monitor the disastrous effects for five years, will provide funding " for dolphins and fixing the turtles and put refridgeration on shrimp boats and raise the road in Plaquemines if they flood... no! Give us the truth. Give us the facts," Nungesser said [1] Nungesser also points out the wasted funds by LA CPRA in a propaganda campaign to convince people the river diversions are good for the coast. 

As Councilmember Kerri Callias notes, this would be at the expense of our livelihoods and way of life.  around the 20:25 minute mark in video   https://sbpg.viebit.com/player.php?hash=noCIGOZo3Muu

[1] FROM WGNO TV Chris Welty
Nungesser ultimately agrees there is a need to restore the coast, but says the diversion project is not the way to do it.
“We gotta start being open and honest or we’re never going to do the right thing, we’re never going to get the right thing done for our coast or for Louisiana,” Nungesser said.
CPRA is collecting public input on the project until May 4th.

Link to submit comments: 
https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/ 

From The Save Louisiana Coalition

The public needs to understand that there is no more debate over the destruction Louisiana's proposed MS River Diversions will cause - the Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been released...

As The Save Louisiana Coalition, the Gulf Coast Resource Coalition, and our partners have stated all along:

--Minimal land gain close to the diversion, while causing land loss to accelerate in other areas;
--Shrimp, oysters and dolphins gone...along with tourism/hospitality, restaurant and other industries dependent on and fueled by our seafood-based culture.

This experimental waste by the LA CPRA of billions of dollars in precious, limited coastal restoration money must stop!

https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=100083

From Marine Mammal Commission

Effects of Low Salinity Exposure on Bottlenose Dolphins Webinar

When St Bernard gets serious about recycling

St Bernard has no real drive to recycle plastics, cardboard, newspapers, or glass. Residents and parish officials seem more content, almost proud, to provide curbside junk disposal then reducing waste. We can't afford to keep all our fire stations open, yet we pay dumpster tipping fees for almost anything.

Let's get serious and begin by manufacturing less plastic (i.e.,  #stopformosa ) using less plastic, and demanding actual recycling for what plastic we might purchase. Demand different packaging.

According to Laura Sullivan's 2020 article, we can no longer ship used plastic for overseas recycling.

Then why is Louisiana gifting more industrial tax exemptions to a proposed massive plastics plant in St James and the sponsoring a State Port in St Bernard for plastics pellets containers [1]? Does that mean St Bernard's proposed State Port container shipyard will also become the plastics storing hub?

When St Bernard gets serious about recycling, our decisions will be to reduce use, reduce waste.

According to Laura Sullivan's 2020 article, we can no longer ship used plastic for overseas recycling.

Here's the basic problem: All used plastic can be turned into new things, but picking it up, sorting it out and melting it down is expensive. Plastic also degrades each time it is reused, meaning it can't be reused more than once or twice.

On the other hand, new plastic is cheap. It's made from oil and gas, and it's almost always less expensive and of better quality to just start fresh.

All of these problems have existed for decades, no matter what new recycling technology or expensive machinery has been developed. In all that time, less than 10 percent of plastic has ever been recycled. But the public has known little about these difficulties.

NPR How Big Oil Misled The Public into Believing Plastic Would be Recycled

Laura Sullivan

Formosa Louisiana Wrong Products Wrong Time Wrong Place Wrong Finances

IEEFA  March 2021

Tom Sanzillo, Director of Financial Analysis 

Suzanne Mattei, Energy Policy Analyst

[1] State Port townhall meeting in St Bernard, the proposed State Port container shipyard will be used for exporting plastic pellets to produce retail containers for products like shampoo and laundry detergent.

STOP Corporate Welfare

" While the pandemic downturn hit the oil industry hard, Valero Energy has taken advantage of many of the bailout programs in the CARES Act. Through the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility, the Federal Reserve has purchased $6 million in Valero bonds and another $11 million via its purchases of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Valero also reported a tax benefit of $117 million for the first half of 2020 thanks to a CARES Act provision that allows them to apply any net operating losses to previous years’ tax burdens."  [1]

Think they can afford to invest in technology to further reduce emissions, mitigate noise, and pay the local portion of property tax, regardless of any previous State Industrial Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Program (ITEP). Together with other industries, if the ITEP local taxes were paid, we wouldn't have continued referendums for more and more property taxes; we might even be able to keep all the fire stations open, rather than rotate closures at times. 

"Due to an Executive Order signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards in June 2016, local school districts, sheriff departments, parishes and cities, for the first time in 80 years, will have the authority to determine for themselves whether to approve industrial tax exemptions and on what terms. " [2] 

The EO only applies to new applications or when existing ITEPs renew, and is expected to be reversed through legislation or by the next State Governor. 

"Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the state agency which administers ITEP and which local entities are looking to for information, has declined even to give an assessment of how much the exemptions are costing those entities at the local level." Parish-wide, lifting all ITEPs, not just one facility, was reported to return an estimated $42 MILLION and lower the average homeowner's tax bill by over $500, and  lower the average business' tax bill by over $1,100 [2]

As neighbors in St Bernard Parish, we care for each other, we make groceries and send food when neighbors are sick, we share ice and drinking water and supplies after hurricanes, we offer an extension cord to the power generator or provide shelter from the heat or cold. We lift each other up and give each other hope.

These industrial neighbors need to get with the program, demonstrate respect for the human beings on the other side of the fence, and stop dragging our quality of life down. 

[1] Tim Donaghy, Senior Research Specialist @Greenpeace USA

[2] Together Louisiana 

Save Historical Burial Sites

 

Oil company files plan to build over Historic Slave Cemeteries in Plaquemines Parish, LA 

Story by David Hammer/Eyewitness Investigator WWL TV

Sadly, not the first company to disrespect historic slave cemeteries. In St James Parish, LA residents demand local council and Army Corps STOP Formosa plastics plant construction on burial grounds. 

STOP FORMOSA

L E A N community Survey

 

Founded in 1986 by a group of concerned citizens, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) is a community based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to resolve the unique environmental struggles present in Louisiana by fostering cooperation and communication between individual citizens, corporate organizations, and government institutions. Through education, empowerment, advocacy, and support, LEAN provides the necessary tools and services to Louisianans facing environmental problems that often threaten their health, safety and quality of life. This survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Community Survey

Highest toxic air emissions per square mile

 

Air Quality Regulators in ‘Cancer Alley’ Have Fallen Dangerously Behind

‘Louisiana has the highest toxic air emissions per square mile of any state’  

By Mark Schleifstein -- February 2, 2021

https://lailluminator.com/2021/02/02/air-quality-regulators-in-cancer-alley-have-fallen-dangerously-behind/?fbclid=IwAR10NAAck35vEFUAnU0Z6lQEyyRuYRgChFEEX6ugcGfU7wAq4mPLXYJ5l7c

"The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality needs to do a better job of identifying industrial polluters that don’t properly report emission violations, and it should enforce those violations more aggressively, according to a new management audit  by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office."

no where to hide

In the aftermath of a Category 4 hurricane, a fire at BioLab chemical plant causes a chlorine leak in Westlake, Louisiana, a community surrounded by petro-chemical facilities. Smoke and chemicals flowed over Interstate 10, which was closed. Residents were instructed to turn off the air conditioning if they had electricity, and shelter in place. 

https://twitter.com/TheBradSowder/status/1298991534537203718

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2020/08/27/lake-charles-i-10-bridge-fire-chlorie-leak-sulphur/5644167002/

https://www.kplctv.com/2020/08/27/fire-chemical-plant-westlake/

Earlier this year, Mossville residents petitioned Louisiana DEQ to reject increased emissions from another facility.   https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/press/2020/2/18/concerned-citizens-of-mossville-and-university-network-for-human-rights-urge-louisiana-deq-to-reject-sasols-request-for-increase-in-toxic-emissions-from-lake-charles-facility