St James
Several areas(Welcome, Chatman Town, Burton Street) on the west bank of the Mississippi River around St. James have been dangerously surrounded by heavy industry impacting quality of life and health of residents. An emergency alert system and newly proposed evacuation routes are inadequate to serve all populations. Complaints of consistent air quality concerns have gone unaddressed while LDEQ continues to permit major industrial projects that face significant opposition from the local community. Safety and basic needs of residents of the Fifth District continue to be neglected while the parish actively promotes this area for heavy industrial development. Community members are working to reduce the cumulative impacts caused by the proximity of industrial facilities and their related chemical, noise and light pollution. Some residents have requested that voluntary relocation options be provided to residents whose health, safety, quality of life or property value is significantly diminished due to parish planning and development choices(location and permitting of heavy industry).
