CONVENT, La. (CN) — The high school was closed, the land sold to a Chinese industrial company that sold it for $100 to the Koch Brothers, then the post office was closed. Welcome to Cancer Alley.
A 2014 map made no note of churches or schools in the area, as if they had been removed, and residents learned of a new amendment that specified their land cannot be subdivided. They say they have no idea when these changes were made.
The areas, known as Districts 4 and 5, are predominantly black communities in “Cancer Alley,” along the Mississippi River in St. James Parish. As of 2014, these communities have gone from being zoned as Residential to, ambiguously, Residential/Future-Industrial.
The designations, critics point out, came under the tenure of a parish president and commissioner, both of whom were indicted on charges of fraud in 2016 for favoring industry. Louisiana has parishes instead of counties.
St. James Parish, pop. 22,100, is midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge in an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River called “Cancer Alley” because of its many petrochemical plants. Environmental groups and local residents have taken to calling the area “Death Alley” because they say that if all the industries proposed move in, that is what it will be.
Ninety percent of District 5 is black; District 4 is 65 percent black; eight refineries already operate in the area with seven more proposed or under construction.
In whiter areas around the parish, stricter land-use designations are in place and in at least two instances growth proposals from industry have been denied.
Public records requests were filed this year by environmental groups and local residents concerned about “secrecy” and “deceit” from parish officials in District 5’s land-use designation, which they say is paving the way for rapid industrialization.
Records, though sparse, indicate that two land-use maps for the parish, one released in 2011 for public input and the final map put into effect in 2014 were conflated. The maps are nearly identical, but the meanings behind the maps, the groups say, are opposite.
While the 2011 map was a result of guidance from a professional land-use firm, two years of research and numerous public meetings, the 2014 map apparently was drawn behind closed doors, without minutes, and after only two public meetings, one of which was attended by just 18 people.
Because very little is on record, little is known about how the land-use designations came to be, but minutes from one of the two public meetings held on the second map, from March 19, 2014, shed some light, environmentalists and residents say.
During that sparsely attended meeting, parish Councilman Jason Amato mentioned “smart growth” a handful of times and spoke of a situation when an industry chose to move into nearby Ascension Parish over St. James Parish.
Amato said he asked the industry why and was told: “You’ve got land, but you don’t have a plan. We can’t afford to spend investors’ money and then two weeks later we got something else that’s undesirable that comes next to our facility.
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