CONVENT, La. — On Monday, a judge in St. James Parish heard from residents and activists who are suing the parish for allowing the increased production at one of the plants out there.
Dubbed 'cancer alley,' lawyers say the increase will worsen an already dire situation.
For those who live in St James Parish, this part of Southeast Louisiana is their pocket of serenity. Sharon Lavigne is one of those residents, she said, "I've lived in St James Parish my whole life, it's home to me."
She went on to say, "One time, we had clean air, we had clean soil, we could plant a garden, go walk out of your house go into your garden and pick your fresh vegetables, we can't do that anymore."
Now it's dubbed "Cancer Alley." Residents like Lavigne fear the health risk is about to get worse. "We are not going to live, if these plants continue to expand we will not be able to live."
Activists and residents went before a judge Monday, suing St James Parish.
The lawsuit reads "St. James Parish officials must follow their own land use ordinance when permitting industrial projects within their own community. Because they must, and because they did not when granting Koch Methanol’s request to expand its operations—including into local wetlands—Petitioners respectfully request that this Court vacate the Parish’s permitting decision."
The plant produces Methanol, an ingredient used to make clothes, cosmetics, paints, plywood, and adhesives... and has been open since 2018.
Lawyer Pam Spees, with Tulane Law Clinic, sent a letter last year to the parish highlighting a long list of chemicals the plant could emit including arsenic, which she says can lead to serious illnesses like lung cancer. Spees says ammonia and methanol are also on the list, both of which are toxic and can cause respiratory disease and developmental defects.
Spees said, "The parish's decisions over decades have landed this community and the community of the 5th district in the 95-100th percentile in the country for the highest risk of cancer."
She went on to say "Residents in the parish have long been calling for years now for a moratorium on heavy industrial uses."
Residents say they're simply sick and tired of being sick and tired, Barbara Washington said, "Every day we breathe the foul air, we drink the water and live on the contaminated land that industry has poisoned."
In a statement, Josh Wiggins, plant manager said, "We're confident that the district court will affirm the thorough work our team did to meet all federal, state, and local requirements on this project and uphold the planning commission's decision to grant our land permit. Koch Methanol St. James' track record in the parish is as a responsible operator that puts community and environmental stewardship at the center of all we do as a company, and we look forward to our Optimization Project moving forward. Residents seeking more information should visit kochmethanol.com"
The judge requested each side submit additional briefs before making a decision.