Tejal Mankad

(Washington, D.C) – Earlier today, RISE St. James, a faith-based, grassroots environmental organization led by The Goldman Prize winner, Sharon Lavigne, hosted a funeral procession across D.C to honor lives lost to the fossil fuel industry and demand more action from the Biden Administration on environmental justice. Organized as a New Orleans second-line style marching band and ending at the White House, the procession of activists carried photographs of fellow community members who died because of the toxic impact of fossil fuels.

“We are dying, struggling to breathe polluted air and without clean water to drink. Our gardens are producing inedible vegetables, and our bath water leaves us itching for days,” said Sharon Lavigne. “As a fellow devout Catholic and grandparent, I am making a personal plea to you, President Biden. Please save us. Use your power to declare Cancer Alley a State of Emergency, declare a climate emergency, halt the petrochemical build out in the Gulf South and help our children and grandchildren to live long, healthy lives.”

SEE PHOTOS HERE. 

Located alongside the Mississippi River, St. James Parish is commonly referred to as “Cancer Alley” for its prevalence of petrochemical plants, with roughly 200 plants along an 80-mile stretch of the river. The Parish, largely made up of Black residential communities, has among the highest concentrations of toxic chemicals in the country, with cancer rates found to be 50 times higher than the national average. Deemed a “sacrifice zone”, this community is one of the clearest examples of environmental racism in the country. 

At the start of his term, President Biden gave hope to the St. James Parish by signing an executive order representing the biggest federal commitment to environmental justice in the nation’s history and referring to “Cancer Alley” by name. Several months later Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Reagan met with RISE St. James and other environmental advocates in St. James Parish, vowing to deliver “bold actions,” to protect families and restore clean air and safe driving water. Despite this, the state of Louisiana plans to build or expand over 100 petrochemical facilities across the state, with St. James Parish at the epicenter of this toxic boom.

The group called on President Biden to stand true to his previous statements and acknowledge the millions of residents within “Cancer Alley ” and across the country that are being subjected to the devastating health effects of the fossil fuel industry. Sharon Lavigne in particular has been making an ongoing personal plea to President Biden to meet with her one-on-one, and was able to have a meeting with the Council on Environmental Quality this afternoon. 

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(Washington, D.C) – Grassroots and frontline climate justice leaders with People vs. Fossil Fuels, a coalition of over 1,200 groups working to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure have released the following statement regarding Joe Manchin’s decision to remove his dirty deal language from the Continuing Resolution today: 

“The failure of the dirty deal is a testament to the power of the people. For too long Black, Indigenous, communities of the global majority and poor white communities have been sacrifice zones for fossil fuel executives’ windfall profits. Environmental racism has stolen so much from our communities for too long and we will fight for all we can save. People vs. Fossil Fuels celebrates this momentum, but knows there is still so much more work to do to protect our climate and communities.  Through sit-ins, rallies, letters, phone banks and more, we have mobilized as a  coalition of over 1,200 groups to push elected officials and President Biden to take the bold leadership science demands to keep fossil fuels in the ground, declare a climate emergency and protect the air, water, and land we depend on for healthy futures. The dirty permitting side deal may have stalled this time around, but the fight continues. We will remain vigilant as Republicans warn they will bring it back next month because we know it will take people power to win the fight against fossil fuels.“

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Leaders from the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition, which organized a major rally in D.C. against the Dirty Deal, respond to Manchin’s latest draft.

(Washington, D.C) – Grassroots and frontline climate justice leaders with People vs. Fossil Fuels, a coalition of over 1,200 groups working to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure, slammed the draft permitting legislation that Senator Manchin released today as a “dirty deal” that would directly harm communities, undermine environmental justice, and worsen the climate emergency. 

Over 650 organizations have signed a letter calling on Congress to oppose Manchin’s side deal. On September 8, People vs. Fossil Fuels, the Stop MVP coalition, and Protect Our Water Heritage and Rights organized a major protest in DC against the dirty deal and the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Despite Senator Manchin’s claims, the pipeline will not alleviate energy woes and does not match the anticipated drop in demand. 

Responses to Manchin’s permitting legislation released today:  

“Manchin’s deal equals a climate catastrophe for Appalachia, Coastal communities and the World! We will NOT be sacrificed! We call on the House AND Senate to give America a clean “Manchin free” bill. Strengthen NEPA, and let pollution overburdened communities be heard, and heeded!” – John Beard, Executive Director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network.

“Senator Manchin has shown a continued lack of respect for Frontline communities. The climate crisis has reached a point where it is a global issue for everyone, the federal government ignored the most impacted communities when we tried to warn about the real impacts of dangerous polluters like the oil industry. We can no longer afford to ignore our most vulnerable neighbors and this dirty deal puts me and my community in danger. Our lives are not to be used for political leverage.” – Cesar Aguirre, Central California Environmental Justice Network 

“Black, Indigenous, communities of the global majority, and poor communities are not sacrifice zones for corrupt politicians like Manchin and Schumer who benefit from big oil’s windfall profits. Our communities have already lost so much from environmental racism but there is so much to save. The science is clear about the worsening climate crisis, we have no time to waste on dirty side deals. We will fight for healthy futures for future generations.” – Jennifer K. Falcon, Ikiya Collective

​​”For eight years we have tirelessly fought the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other fossil fuel projects in West Virginia and Virginia,” said Russell Chisholm, Mountain Valley Watch Coordinator. “Nearly a decade of our lives and our health has been shaped by fighting these unnecessary projects as the climate crisis escalates and pummels our homes with intensified storms and floods. Manchin’s dirty pipeline deal is an insult to his constituents and furthers a fossil-fueled death sentence to many people and the planet. We demand more public input and a livable future. That is why we are mobilizing to stop this bill.”

“This deal is nothing short of a criminal act, a giveaway to Big Oil and Gas at the expense of Indigenous, Black, Brown, and economically challenged communities. It violates a core tenet of Environmental Justice – that our voices matter, that our community input is needed on projects that impact our lives, water, air and bodies. Sen. Manchin and Democrat leadership are proving once again that they are not for the people, but only for profit. This dirty deal must not pass.” said Joye Braun, National Pipelines Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network,  Cheyenne River Sioux member.

“Sen Machin’s Dirty Deal will do nothing more than continue to crutch the already dying fossil fuel industry,” said Pueblo Action Alliance, a Pueblo Indigenous and frontline organization in the Southwest. “In the wake of what is currently happening to our relatives in Alaska and Puerto Rico, the US is deciding to further fund a fossil fuel industry that is directly responsible for these climate disasters in the first place. This is a HUGE and DEVASTATING blow to our communities on the frontlines of climate chaos who deserve REAL SOLUTIONS right now. No more funding for the criminal fossil fuel industry. No more leasing! We deserve a fair and just transition to renewable energies NOW! Stop the Dirty Deal!” 

“Farmers and ranchers have, for the past decade, stood with allies to protect the land and water from risky fossil fuel projects. Sen. Manchin wants to take away property rights and side with pipelines over people.” – Jane Kleeb, Founder, Bold Alliance.

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Members of People vs. Fossil Fuels, ShutDown DC and Extinction Rebellion interrupt Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act celebration, citing blatant display of environmental racism

(Washington, D.C) – Today, frontline and climate activists disrupted President Biden’s celebration of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a piece of legislation that includes a racist, dirty side deal that will push through new deadly fossil fuel projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline and cause irreparable harm to marginalized communities across the country. Their main message: A celebration of the Inflation Reduction Act is a celebration of environmental racism. 

The group convened both inside and outside of the event, with organizers outside holding banners and handing out literature to attendees upon their arrival to educate them about the dirty energy side deal and the harm it will cause to frontline communities. Inside the White House, activists stripped off their blazers and business clothes to reveal t-shirts that donned the statement “Racist Dirty Energy Deal” with a strike through it. 

The IRA and the side permitting deal that Senator Manchin and Senator Schumer struck up behind closed doors are symbiotic. If passed, the side deal will severely weaken the governmental safeguards in place to prevent community and environmental harm from many types of energy projects. By no surprise, the demographics of the majority of the people at the White House celebrating the IRA as a “climate deal” does not match the demographics of those most impacted by the climate crisis. 

Last week, more than 600 people convened for a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol to call on Congress to end the dirty side deal and stop the sacrificing of frontline and BIPOC communities. Members of the group spent the day lobbying Congress members – including Manchin himself – asking them to oppose the deal and fulfill other demands of their respective communities.

A vote is expected by September 30, 2022 and tensions continue to mount in Congress, as leaders like Sen. Sanders and Rep. Grijalva speak out against the bill, warning, “permitting provisions [in this bill] will significantly and disproportionately impact low-income communities, indigenous communities, and communities of color.”

Below are quotes from attendees from today’s action at the White House:

“If Republicans passed a piece of legislation that included opening up 600 million acres of oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico, dedicated billions of dollars to unproven, notional technologies like carbon capture and sequestration, extended the life of aging nuclear power plants, allowed for increased mining of uranium, and tied it to a commitment to ratify a separate, rubber stamped American Petroleum Institute side deal that would deregulate landmark environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as the Clean Water Act, which have both acted as vanguards for historically marginalized environmental justice communities, would Democrats and historically white-led groups still be celebrating?” asked Anthony Rogers-Wright, Director of Environmental Justice with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. He added, “The fact that the demographics of those celebrating this as a “climate victory” don’t match the demographics of those most impacted by the climate crisis, along with the fact that Big Oil cartels are also celebrating passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and its associated Schumer/Manchin side deal should tell you everything you need to know and make you question the true intentions and values of many historically white-led environmental organizations.”

“It is unconscionable that Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi have agreed to a corrupt, industry-backed deal in a secretive process that excluded public participation, and especially the voices of the Indigenous, Black, Brown, and poor communities most impacted by dirty energy infrastructure and by climate disasters,” said Basav Sen, Climate Policy Director at the Institute for Policy Studies. “This is a textbook example of high-level government corruption, and it exposes U.S. claims of being a “climate leader” as self-serving propaganda.”

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(San Francisco, CA) – Yesterday, over 50 protestors gathered at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) office to protest the dirty pipeline deal negotiated by House and Senate leadership that would fast-track fossil fuel projects. Activists staged a sit-in inside the building to demand that Senator Feinstein, Speaker Pelosi, and all Members of Congress commit to stopping this dirty deal written by and for the fossil fuel industry that will perpetuate environmental racism and throw frontline communities under the bus. Six activists were arrested while awaiting commitment from the Senator to oppose any legislation that fast-tracks fossil fuel projects or stripped away environmental protections. 

Over 50 climate activists with 350 Bay Area, Ikiya Collective, Extinction Rebellion SF Bay Area, Oil & Gas Action Network, Sunrise Bay Area, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Food & Water Watch, and the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition demonstrated with banners, posters, and oil tanks to symbolize the destruction that would be caused if this dirty deal is introduced and allowed to pass in Congress. 

“Time and again our elected leaders cut deals that affect land and life for generations without any input from the people they represent,” said Nik Evasco, 350 Bay Area, one of the activists who participated in the sit-in. “Reclaiming public space to demand a clear answer from Senator Feinstein on whether or not she opposes the policy written by fossil fuel lobbyists should not be the only option we have to speak to our representative. Unfortunately, that’s what it has come to and we’re prepared to continue this strategy until our demands are heard.”

As part of his price to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) negotiated for a separate piece of legislation that would fast-track permit approvals for fossil fuel projects. While the official legislation has not been introduced, the one-page summary of the provisions of the deal that Manchin released guts bedrock environmental protections, endangers public health, fast-tracks fossil fuel expansion projects, and rubber stamps Manchin’s pet project–the Mountain Valley Pipeline–a failing fracked gas project with devastating climate and public health impacts. The draft legislative text that has been circulating bears a watermark from the American Petroleum Institute.

“While it is absolutely vital that Congress take action on the climate crisis, we must not allow legislation that guts crucial aspects of NEPA and the Clean Water Act, furthers fossil fuel expansion, or sacrifices frontline communities — no community is disposable!” said Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director of Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), who spoke at the rally. “Members of Congress must stop the Inflation Reduction Act’s dirty side deal from going any further. To avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, we need transformative policies that end dependence on fossil fuels and the perpetuation of environmental racism, Indigenous rights violations, and sacrificed communities. With the escalation of climate-induced fires, floods and heat waves globally, business as usual must not and cannot continue — we need bold climate action, which includes President Biden declaring a Climate Emergency, stopping all new fossil fuel expansion, and investing in an immediate, just, and equitable energy transition. We will not give up on a thriving and healthy future for all generations, and that means ending the tyranny of the fossil fuel industry, listening to frontline leadership, and claiming a Climate Emergency now.”

This rally builds on mounting grassroots resistance and protests across the country targeting Democratic leadership in opposition to this dirty deal. Over 650+ organizations from across the country have called on House and Senate leaders to stop this deal and end fossil fuel handouts. 

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