After Grassroots Efforts Block LA Plastic Plants, Oil Majors Create "Sustainability Councils"

[hatrack]

After residents of America’s “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana put a national spotlight on their fight for a healthy environment, the state’s economic interests and petrochemical giants are backing the creation of a new “sustainability council” to counter grassroots activists, documents show. In recent years, the activists have successfully fought construction of two multibillion-dollar plastics facilities and what would have been the nation’s largest methanol plant. The growing concerns have caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency, which earlier this year sued a manufacturer of neoprene in the state for not doing enough to reduce its cancer-causing air emissions.

Now, those same groups are receiving millions of dollars from Michael Bloomberg and his Beyond Petrochemicals campaign, and the Louisiana energy and chemical companies along with the states’ business-boosting groups have, in turn, created the Louisiana Industry Sustainability Council – originally called the Industry Defense Council.

Ed. - Emphasis added.

EDIT

When asked if the council was created out of fear because of the activists’ recent successes, a representative of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, one of the other groups leading the council, said: “Not that we’re aware of.” “We believe that it would be a horrible missed opportunity for the people of Louisiana to lose out on this brighter economic and environmental future because of the efforts of some to halt this progress,” said Michael DiResto, executive vice-president of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, who also highlighted that $20bn of energy transition and carbon emission reduction investments are in development for the region.

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The Bloomberg money was an early target of the sustainability council and, according to a slide showing its key messages, it planned to promote the message that “Louisianans are the best people to decide what’s right for Louisiana – not Michael Bloomberg.” Wolfe says the suggested message point about Bloomberg has been rejected by the council. Another early council strategy highlights that “Louisiana’s future comes first. Point out repeatedly that these are out-of-state interests trying to punish Louisianans into submission.”

Ed. - Yes, just like those Yankee interlopers coming down here and interfering with the Southern Way Of LIfe, circa 1961.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/04/cancer-alley-louisiana-environment-oil-industry-opposition?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[MichMan]

1. People need to stop using plastic products

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I couldn't agree more, but it's next to impossible to avoid

It seems like every single thing is packaged in plastic these days! Vegetables and fruits come in plastic bags or boxes, baked products come in plastic boxes, meat products are wrapped in plastic as are deli products - cold cuts come in plastic wraps and salads in plastic containers. Even paper products are encased in plastic, paper towels are wrapped in plastic, individually and then in packages of two rolls or more, toilet tissue comes in plastic packages and tissues are wrapped in plastic if you buy more than one box. What's left??

So even though they switched from plastic bags to paper in stores here in New York, pretty much everything that you buy is already wrapped in plastic!