![]() They also noted the lack of an operational emergency alert system despite living in a corridor for chemical manufacturing, oil refining and liquefied natural gas terminals. “We've been in this fight for 40-something years,” Bennett said. Once a thriving Black community, resident Christine Bennett said the influx of industrial plants and unequal buyouts turned Mossville into “a ghost town” as more people fled the pollution - leaving those who couldn’t afford to move behind. Several pointed to the nearby community of Mossville as an example. WWNO Department of Energy Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Director Shalanda Baker delivers her opening remarks at her office's "Energy Justice to the People Roadshow" in Lake Charles, Louisiana.ĭuring several community listening sessions throughout the day, residents voiced their long-standing concerns over the quality of their air and water amid ongoing industrial pollution. “We wanted to send the message that as we bring new investments into these communities, we don't wanna replicate the systems and the problems of the past.” “We wanted to pick places that were emblematic, that were reflective of the darkest side of the industry, but also where we wanted to bring light,” Baker said. The tour aims to engage with communities that have historically depended on the fossil fuel industry like Lake Charles, which is part of the state’s second-largest hotspot for toxic air, and share ways to tap into the outpouring of federal money. The DOE staff was joined by officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. ![]() ![]() Her remarks kicked off the Department of Energy’s latest stop on its national campaign known as the “ Energy Justice to the People Roadshow,” led by Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Director Shalanda Baker. “We just have to make sure, as a community and as a city, that things that come here to this entire city of Lake Charles aren't just biased and going to one portion of the city,” Ozane said. WWNO Lake Charles advocate and resident Roishetta Ozane speaks during a listening session held as part of the Department of Energy's "Energy Justice to the People Roadshow," on June 14, 2023.īut residents like Ozane say the federal agencies need to ensure that money goes to the area’s most vulnerable residents, who say they haven’t seen the same level of local investments. ![]()
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