|
Growing up with a physical disability was no small feat. I had trouble locating sounds, constantly felt a dull, ringing sensation and was unable to wear traditional hearing aids. I received ridicule from classmates, poking fun at my inability to hear adequately on my right-side. At times I felt defeated, unable to cope with the mentally debilitating prospect of being labeled “different.” And yet, over time and into adulthood, I have grown to accept and understand my hearing disability, as it has shaped me into the person that I am today. Living with Single Sided Deafness, I occupy an in-between space. In some contexts, I am considered disabled, while in others I might appear able to the naked eye. This perception of disability – both my own and others’ – shifts over time and in different contexts. The environments we occupy can also be an in-between space where factors outside of our immediate control can shift the way we act and exist in the world. I often think about communities in Cancer Alley as also occupying an in-between space, as they’ve been cast away as a “sacrifice zone” but at the same time they’re creating real progress. People like Ms. Lavigne embody the community’s struggle between the harm inflicted and the progress being made toward justice. In March, her organization Rise St. James, among other environmental advocacy groups, filed an application to ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to grant review and overturn the issuance of Formosa Plastics’ air permits. Further, Rise St. James has urgently called on President Biden to stop Formosa from building their a mega petrochemical facility in St. James Parish, which has gained traction toward the White House. Living with Single Sided Deafness, I occupy an in-between space. On that bus ride, I positioned myself close to Ms. Lavigne to fully understand her words. Ms. Lavigne is the leader of Rise St. James, a faith-based community organization that works to stop the proliferation of petrochemical industries in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Adorned in her Rise St. James tee, Ms. Lavigne spoke at-length of the Parish’s history. Starting in the 1980s, fossil fuel, oil-refining and plastic-production operations have proliferated along an 85-mile stretch on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, running directly through the Parish. Such facilities emit high levels of harmful air pollutants and other environmental toxics, which have caused a high incidence of rare cancers, respiratory diseases, asthma and other severe health conditions. Today, the area is known as Cancer Alley.  Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex outside of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Credit: Brandon Rothrock A man mowing the lawn outside his house in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Credit: Brandon Rothrock Despite the obvious injustices these communities already face, Louisiana state officials continue to downplay environmental and health concerns raised by Rise St. James. The most recent example is their support for a proposed $9.4 billion petrochemical complex called the Sunshine Project, heralded by Formosa Petrochemical Corporation. The proposed complex would include 14 facilities that will process ethane from fracked natural gas to produce various chemicals used in everyday materials such as single-use plastics and antifreeze. In the “name of progress,” the majority African American community is forced to exist in a disabling environment: a context that makes them incapable of breathing clean air and living long and healthy lives. This situation in Louisiana reflects a broader national issue. Despite the obvious injustices these communities already face, Louisiana state officials continue to downplay environmental and health concerns raised by Rise St. James. Fracked natural gas – the kind of gas the Sunshine Project would process– is in itself another example of how this industry disables communities, and there’s no better example than the Ohio River Valley. For centuries, communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, first through coal and now through natural gas, have been dominated by fossil fuels production. In the last two decades, the region, which sits on top of the largest shale gas formation in the U.S., has become the epicenter of the country’s fracking industry. Injecting chemicals deep underground to fracture shale deposits and release the gas stored within them releases climate warming gasses like methane, and airborne toxics like particulate matter, which are linked to respiratory problems and other health conditions like skin issues and cancer. It also pollutes underground water supplies with cancer-causing chemicals like PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” Fracking continuously fractures communities. The physical landscape is altered forever while people grapple with a shattered sense of community, damaged property and high rates of depression. Here again, we see communities being robbed of their ability and barred from their agency. Such extractive acts can be considered disabling, in the sense that once communities lose their ability to exist and make decisions freely, the industry will be able to extract further. In a similar vein to Rise St. James, Appalachian-based groups such as the Ohio River Valley Institute work directly with community partners to fight back against injustice.
|
