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Ansje Miller writes, “Barely a day goes by without the news of another toxic-chemical disaster poisoning the water we drink or the soil where our children play… Yet the response of advocates and grant makers to the East Palestine derailment shows what’s possible if philanthropy becomes more engaged in this issue.”

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.

Heather McTeer Toney, who led EPA Region 4 during the Obama administration, is leaving her current position to lead the Beyond Petrochemicals Initiative, a Bloomberg Philanthropies campaign that “will aim to halt the rapid expansion of petrochemical and plastic pollution in the United States.

Older activists are taking the lead on the front lines of environmental justice.

Jeremy Symons writes, “Flush with record-shattering profits, oil companies are pursuing three strategies to boost production and open new markets to soak up fresh supplies.”

Linda S. Birnbaum and Terry Collins write, “The EPA’s oversight is important. So is preventing the U.S. petrochemical industry from expanding with a new generation of toxic projects that will extend the health-harming and economy-stifling status quo for decades.”

Residents of a Louisiana parish located in the heart of a cluster of polluting petrochemical factories filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday raising allegations of civil rights, environmental justice and religious liberty violations.

Residents are still dealing with contaminated soil and having to monitor their air a month after Norfolk Southern’s train spilled hazardous chemicals in the village. But for activists in the Gulf South, the issue is a stark reminder of their own fight against the petrochemical industry across the region.

While many of the petrochemical facilities say their jobs create an economic win for the city, community activists who attended the briefing disagreed, saying the facilities have a history of outsourcing labor except for lower wage jobs. Concerned citizens believe they are bearing the environmental consequences of petrochemical and petroleum plants.

The global plastics and petrochemical industry wants to build toxic facilities in Black communities. But residents of “Cancer Alley,” Louisiana, are fighting back.

Matt Mehalik writes, “Our economic future should not, and will not, be hitched to subsidizing new uses for dirty materials like petrochemicals. We can have healthy people, healthy workers, a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We deserve a bright future.”

Dr. Beverly Wright writes, “Today, petrochemicals account for 10% of global emissions, which will increase by 20% by 2030 as production increases, making it nearly impossible for the U.S. to meet its Paris Agreement climate goals. This would also be devastating to Black, brown and poor communities living near petrochemical facilities in Louisiana.”

Dr. Robert Bullard and Jennifer Hadayia write, “Oil and gas companies are increasingly looking for new places to sell their product. They won’t be able to sell as much gasoline so they’re trying to sell more plastic, paints, pesticides, fertilizers and other products made from oil and gas.”

Joseph Otis Minott writes, “Petrochemical plants create toxic byproducts that increase the risk of cancer, lung disease, and heart disease for nearby residents. Shell plant modeling suggests that its emissions will lead to tens of millions of dollars in annual health care costs for nearby counties.”

Environmentalists smell a ruse, saying the industry’s talk of “advanced recycling” is nothing more than a fancy approach to a dirty business, incinerating plastics.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic organization took an aggressive stance against the plastics industry this week with a new campaign to stop proposed petrochemical plants from becoming a reality.

Beyond Petrochemicals will focus on three regions of the country—Louisiana, Texas and the Ohio River Valley—that have been particularly hit in recent years by new petrochemical plants and planned expansions.

The campaign, dubbed Beyond Petrochemicals: People Over Pollution, will seek to block more than 120 proposed petrochemical projects concentrated in Louisiana, Texas and the Ohio River Valley, and establish stricter rules for existing plants.

At least 90 petrochemical and plastics projects have been proposed over the last decade, including 42 major construction projects that will release greenhouse gas emissions and other hazardous air pollutants, according to the Environmental Integrity Project, which tracks the planned buildouts.

The new campaign will seek to block more than 120 petrochemical projects, in addition to promoting more aggressive rules for those already in place. The plants are concentrated in Louisiana, Texas and the Ohio River Valley, all areas where petrochemical activity has drawn widespread scrutiny and pushback.