Environmentalists slam Biden admin's carbon-capture initiative in Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' — fear 'experiment' could pose health risks

Environmentalists are speaking out against the Biden administration's climate initiative that would support carbon-capture projects in Louisiana communities, the Washington Post reported.

Donaldsonville, Louisiana, approximately 65 miles outside New Orleans, is home to the world's largest ammonia and nitrogen plant. The area is known by the nickname "Cancer Alley" due to reportedly higher cancer rates believed to be linked to the concentration of several petrochemical plants and refineries, many of which are located near majority-black churches and schools.

The Biden administration is pushing to fast-track a carbon-capturing initiative that would store emissions approximately 4,000 feet underground instead of releasing them into the atmosphere.

The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice in east New Orleans and White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council member Beverly Wright told the Post that the initiative is an "experiment."

"What they're trying to do to Louisiana now is I think the worst of anything we've been exposed to, because of all the uncertainty," Wright stated. "And this experiment is going to be conducted on the same communities that have suffered from the oil and gas industry."

Wright explained that the oil industry had supported the carbon capture and storage initiatives, also referred to as CCS.

"They can continue doing what they do to make money without doing anything to actually reduce their carbon footprint," Wright said, referring to oil companies.

With $80 billion in pending projects in Louisiana, the Environmental Protection Agency held meetings last week to hear from concerned residents.

EPA spokesperson Tim Carroll said in a statement, "Public input and debate is not an obstacle — it is a feature and it is what leads to good policy."

He noted that the EPA has "worked extensively with the state of Louisiana to ensure its primacy application reflected essential environmental justice and equity considerations."

Chad Ross, a 37-year-old Donaldsonville resident, stated that he was unaware that the town was planning to implement carbon-capture projects.

"It is called Cancer Alley, and that's part of the reason we don't trust them," Ross said. "It's still not so good to have all these plants, so many of them, all around us. Anything could happen."

Resident Ashley Gaignard, 46, said she does not trust that the carbon-capture initiative will safely reduce emissions and called upon the Biden administration to implement the experiment in their own backyards.

"Don't do it in my neighborhood. Do it where you live," Gaignard said. "Right about now it's politics over people. And I don't think they give a damn about people."

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