Ben Sackler
On March 6th, 2018, National Public Radio (NPR) came out with an article titled “After Decades of Air Pollution, a Louisiana Town Rebels Against a Chemical Giant.” The article highlights the town of St. John the Baptist Parish, specifically a man named Robert Taylor. In 1969, the chemical giant Dupont opened a plant in St. John the Baptist Parish due to its proximity to the Mississippi River and cheap land.
Dupont is a plant that produces the chemical chloroprene, which is the main ingredient in neoprene, a rubbery material that appears in wetsuits, computer sleeves, and other artificial products. The environmental determinants to this area since Dupont has opened have been extreme. At this point in time, the five census tracts that surround the Dupont plant have a cancer risk that is 700 times more than the national average in one tract. This is good for the highest cancer risk in the entire nation. Here is a graphic to portray this information:
The narrative in the town until recent times was relatively defeating. The town acknowledged that the large increase in cancer rates within the area was directly related to the Dupont plant. However, the people of St. John the Baptist Parish are typically poor, and felt as though they didn’t stand a chance against a large chemical giant such as Dupont. Robert Taylor, a resident of the town who is spearheading the current advocacy against Dupont, is quoted in the article, saying, “What’s wrong with y’all? Ya’ll trying to fight DuPont? Y’all crazy? You can’t win fighting DuPont!”
This narrative draws many similarities to what happened in Warren County, North Carolina, in 1982. Environmental justice marches took the streets of Warren County following long-term environmental injustice experienced in the area. A PCB landfill was placed in the area against the will of the residents, and there was nothing that could be done by the residents to solve the problem. Severe health problems were experienced by community members. Warren County was 97/100 poorest areas in North Carolina at the time, and 75% African American. St. John the Baptist Parish is also a low income area that has majority African American residents. These similarities express the fact that big business and government selfishly discriminate against low income communities who are typically minorities, in order to make their own money and not receive backlash from people who may have the power to overturn what their goal is.
Just like how Warren County eventually achieved change because of their recognition that they were being discriminated against because of who they are, and got help externally from people who also identified this injustice, St. John the Baptist Parish also got external help after internal realizations. Wilma Subra, the lead technical advisor for the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, contacted Robert Taylor, and Taylor became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit led by him and Subra in an effort to reduce pollution from Dupont. Taylor acknowledged he was the one who had the knowledge of how detrimental Dupont had been to the community, and Subra was the one who had the governmental power and influence to make change. When this knowledge and power come together, just like they did in Warren County, success occurs.
This issue is relevant today because Taylor has led efforts to reform in recent months. In result of the lawsuit, Dupont recently released that they are promising an 85% decrease in chloroprene emissions. Taylor also recently created a group called the “Concerned Citizens of St. John Baptist the Parish,” and they march weekly to show their discontent and anger about current conditions relating to Dupont. Taylor and the town residents are especially angry because of President Trump’s threat to end the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), which is run through the EPA, and was the program that exposed Dupont for their environmental health detriments. Republicans claim IRIS is failing, however, residents of the town don’t agree. Although NPR is seen to be a more liberal news source, the article is not wrong in acknowledging the fact that many Republicans would like to go on without IRIS.
This story highlights the poor relationship between big businesses and government, and communities of low income and minorities. Environmental racism and discrimination is an issue that is so important because often times, these residents don’t get the opportunity to make their voice heard; they must rely on others.