St James
St. James parish is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,192 (Census 2020). Since Gulf Oil arrived in 1964, promising jobs and economic prosperity, residents of St. James have been dealing with increased industrialization, and are sequentially overburdened with pollution. 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 (Tennessean 2020).
In 2014, parish officials changed the zoning codes of the 4th and 5th districts from “residential” to “residential/future industrial”. Within a year, several industrial plants were approved to build in the newly industrial zoned area (Sierra Club 2019) 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. Despite pushback from environmental groups and residents, LDEQ has stated that the emission levels are within regulations (Guardian 2017).
In 2021, Formosa Plastics’ Sunshine Project permits were blocked after Judge Judy White said that state regulators had not done their due diligence when considering the effect the plant would have on the predominantly African-American community in St. James. The environmental advocacy group RISE St. James led the suit against the plant (New York Times 2021). Now the Louisiana Corps of Engineers is conducting an environmental impact statement that will take approximately two years (Advocate 2021).
In 2023, residents of St. James filed a lawsuit against the parish officials for repeatedly violating the civil rights and religious liberties of the two majority Black districts by approving the development of petrochemical industries. The lawsuit cites that the approval of these plants has a direct correlation to slavery and segregation, as many of these plants were built on the ground of former plantations.(Guardian 2023).
Also in 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency dropped their investigation into a civil rights violation from the development of petrochemical industries in of Black communities in Louisiana that increase cancer risk, cause respiratory health issues, and overall decrease quality of life (PBS 2023). Residents of St. James continue to work 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.
