We didn’t need a report to learn about the health impacts of polluting projects or the inherent racism behind decisions about where to locate them.
Several of my children suffer from chronic respiratory, neurological, and skin conditions that doctors say are related to the air we breathe. In my predominantly black neighborhood in southwestern Louisiana, it’s not unusual for the sky to turn orange due to chemical releases from the nearby petrochemical industry.
I know that living next to these industries is bad for humans, and I know that these industries are being placed in my community because corporations and governments think we can’t fight back. I also know that.
they should think again. Along with other community leaders in Louisiana and Texas, I have spent months working with researchers to provide evidence of the harm being done to families who live next door to polluting industries. Our findings put the blame squarely on the money behind these projects, in this case the City, which has poured an estimated $1.6 billion into liquefied methane gas facilities along the Gulf Coast. It is temporary.
Our report also reveals how funding for new construction in this polluting project is linked to health impacts in nearby communities and race. Our goal is to ensure that big banks can’t stand back and hide on Wall Street after making investments that have made our children sick. We’re coming for them, and now we have the data to prove it.
Shockingly, we believe that the City’s funding for four LNG terminals – Sabine Pass and Cameron in Louisiana, and Corpus Christi and Port Arthur in Texas – will result in two premature deaths and more than 10 cases per year. of childhood asthma. According to the report, the cost of health impacts attributable to the City is $36 million annually, including more than 1,600 days of school and work lost.
This level of detail is important. I want Citi’s CEO and senior executives who make decisions about these projects to think about the tangible impact they are having on my children and other people in Louisiana. . I want them to think about the racism that is inherently tied to this funding. Investing in polluting projects where low-income, black, and brown people live is racist because it exacerbates centuries of discrimination and enslavement. I want Citi executives to remember that no amount of clever PR about racial equality can hide the fact that they are harming black children.
This is the fight of our lives, and we are fighting it on several fronts. A recent Louisiana federal court decision blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from granting permits under civil rights laws to polluting industries in low-income, black, and brown communities is another blow. It became. When fossil fuel development is clearly a racial equity issue, it would be deeply unjust to prevent regulators from considering civil rights in permitting decisions. Given this ruling, we will be watching closely to see what polluting industries, and the banks that fund them, choose to expand into Louisiana.
The truth is that banks like Citi can be heroes, not villains, in the energy transition and the fight for environmental justice. To ensure the success of the transition to wind and solar and ensure that our communities have access to clean, affordable energy, a transition to sustainable energy investments is essential.
For too long, banks have been known for discriminating against Black and brown communities through loans, foreclosures, redlining, and supporting industries that kill us. . The only way to truly build trust with our communities is to start listening when we say “enough is enough.” Invest in our future, not our demise.
