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Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland legislators say they will override governor's veto, reinstate Reparations Commission bill
Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed 181 bills into law Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The bills he vetoed included one creating a Reparations Commission. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Gov. Wes Moore's veto of the Maryland Reparations Commission bill came as a shock to lawmakers, but they are confident they can override the veto, making it little more than a temporary setback for the initiative. 'We're not done in getting this bill into a law. That is the ultimately goal, no matter what hurdles are in front of us,' said Delegate Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored a House version of the measure and helped pass Senate Bill 587, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's). For advocates around the country, however, the shock is still being felt. They worry what the bill's troubles in Maryland — a state with a Black governor, a Black attorney general, a Black House Speaker, a Democratic super-majority and a powerful Legislative Black Caucus — portend for their states. 'Gov. Moore needs to realize that he's not only impacting Maryland, but he's impacting South Carolina and many other states with the veto,' said South Carolina state Rep. John King, a Democrat from Rock Hill. The Maryland bill called for the creation of a commission that would assess specific federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, that 'led to economic disparities based on race, including housing, segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The all-volunteer commission would also examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies, and would then recommend appropriate reparations, which could include statements of apology, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives or child care costs. Unlike previous years, when reparations bills had price tags of $1 million or more, the bill passed this year drew heavily on volunteers and existing resources. It was expected to cost $54,500 in its first year. In his veto letter, Moore praised the work and the intentions of those behind the bill, but said 'now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.' He cited a number of studies over the past 25 years on the legacy of slavery and promised that his legislative agenda next year would include a package of proposals to 'address the barriers that have walled off Black families in Maryland from work, wages and wealth for generations.' Those justifications appeared to be lost on many advocates, however, who called the veto everything from shocking to a betrayal. There is no similar effort in South Carolina. But King expressed his disappointment on his Facebook page Monday, when he called on the South Carolina Democratic Party to rescind an invitation to Moore, who is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the party's annual Blue Palmetto Dinner on May 30. Tickets start at $150 for the party's largest fundraiser of the year, which has featured potential presidential candidates in the past. That includes U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who headlined last year's dinner with Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia. In 2019, King was the first South Carolina legislator to endorse Booker for president. (Booker dropped out of the presidential field in January 2020, a month ahead of South Carolina's then-first-in-the-South primary.) While Moore has said he's not running for president, his speech in South Carolina can be seen as a 2028 audition of sorts. On May 31, the day after Moore's address, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at Democrats' convention in the state that last year held the party's first presidential primary. 'I will still support [the] governor, if he decided to run for president,' said King, who spent summers in Maryland where his mother grew up in the Baltimore area. But in light of the reparations veto, 'I don't think the timing is right for him to come to South Carolina,' he said in an interview Tuesday. South Carolina Democratic Party officials did not respond to requests for comment. But as recently as Wednesday, the party sent out emails urging people to buy tickets for the dinner and the chance to 'hear from Maryland Governor Wes Moore.' 'Tickets will sell out,' the email said. King's colleague, Rep. Annie McDaniel, a Democrat from Fairfield County, said she also disagrees with Moore's veto. 'I'm not saying whether the governor's right or wrong. I'm just saying that the way he chose to handle this is not good,' McDaniel said in an interview Tuesday with Maryland Matters. 'It's not good for the plight that African Americans are on now in this state.' But McDaniel, who chairs the state's Legislative Black Caucus, also said Moore should attend the Blue Palmetto Dinner and explain himself. She said she would also like to see an invitation extended to Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), the chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus. 'I think that would be an awesome opportunity,' McDaniel said. 'I don't want the conversation to be one-sided. I believe in fairness. I just think that having her [Wilkins] in the room and having him [Moore] in the room at the same time will give us an opportunity to hear both sides.' Wilkins declined to comment. A spokesperson for the governor's office also declined to comment. Moore's veto Friday was announced hours after he spoke at commencement for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities, and the day before an unrelated reparations rally in Washington, D.C. Moore to veto reparations bill, one of a list of measures he will reject The governor's decision has sparked some conversation on online broadcasts and among civil rights organizations. David Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Collective, called the governor's decision in a statement Tuesday 'a betrayal of generational efforts to pursue truth, healing, and repair.' 'As the first Black governor of Maryland, Gov. Moore had an opportunity to lead with moral clarity, political courage, and historical awareness,' Johns said in a statement Tuesday. 'Instead, his decision represents a dangerous step backward in the long and necessary march toward racial justice.' Outside the State House on Tuesday, as the governor was inside for the last bill-signing of the year, a small group of protesters stood on Lawyers Mall, holding signs and chanting: 'What do we want? Reparations! When do we want it? Now!' The rally was led by Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing Black Lawyers for Justice, who said the legislature should override Moore's veto. 'Clearly, the governor's not for reparations,' Shabazz said to reporters. 'And clearly, he's looking to cut off a study and calculation of an assessment of the damages of what has been done to the people and the constituents of his own state, and that's unacceptable.' But Linda Lee Tarver, with the Black conservative organization Project 21, said Wednesday that reparations aren't the answer to help Black communities. Tarver, who runs a political consulting business in Lansing, Michigan, agreed with Moore's veto message that studies have been, and continue to be, done by other organizations. She referenced her own group's policy recommendations, which include election integrity, reducing 'harmful 'environmental justice' agenda,' making health care more market oriented and protecting science, technology, engineering and math instruction 'from the poison of 'equity' activists.' She said she was surprised at the apparent disconnect between Moore and the Legislative Black Caucus, which had endorsed the reparations bill. 'I believe that Gov. Wes Moore got caught in pretending to care for reparations, and then his pen was required, and he punted,' Tarver said. 'It's shameful. Just say up front you don't believe in it.' Disconnect or not, McCaskill said the debate is healthy — and the debate will continue as the commission moves forward, as she believes it will. 'I am excited to hear that it's on folks' minds, in opposition or proponents for it,' she said. 'This commission is important to hear from all Marylanders because it will eventually affect every Marylander.' SC Daily Gazette Editor Seanna Adcox contributed to this report. Like the SC Daily Gazette, Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers confident they can override Moore's veto, reinstate Reparations Commission bill
Malik Shabazz representing Black Lawyers for Justice, second from left, leads a rally May 20 in Annapolis demanding the Maryland General Assembly override a veto by Gov. Wes Moore (D) of the Reparations Commission bill. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) Gov. Wes Moore's veto of the Maryland Reparations Commission bill came as a shock to lawmakers here, but they are confident they can override the veto, making it little more than a temporary setback for the initiative. 'We're not done in getting this bill into a law. That is the ultimately goal, no matter what hurdles are in front of us,' said Del. Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored a House version of the measure and helped pass Senate Bill 587, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's). For advocates around the country, however, the shock is still being felt. They worry about what the bill's troubles in Maryland — a state with a Black governor, a Black attorney general, a Black House Speaker, a Democratic super-majority and a powerful Legislative Black Caucus — portend for efforts in their own states. 'Gov. Moore needs to realize that he's not only impacting Maryland, but he's impacting South Carolina and many other states with the veto,' said South Carolina state Rep. John King, a Democrat from the Rock Hill area of the state. The Maryland bill called for the creation of a commission that would assess specific federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, that 'led to economic disparities based on race, including housing, segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The all-volunteer commission would also have examined how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies, and would then recommend appropriate reparations, which could include statements of apology, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives or child care costs. Unlike previous years, when reparations bills had price tags of $1 million or more, the bill passed this year drew heavily on volunteers and existing resources, and was expected to cost $54,500 in its first year. In his veto letter, Moore praised the work and the intentions of those behind the bill, but said 'now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.' He cited a number of studies over the past 25 years on the legacy of slavery, and promised that his legislative agenda next year would include a package of proposals to 'address the barriers that have walled off Black families in Maryland from work, wages and wealth for generations.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Those justifications appeared to be lost on many advocates, however, who called the veto everything from shocking to a betrayal. King expressed his disappointment on his Facebook page Monday, when he called on his state's Democratic Party to rescind an invitation to Moore, who is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the party's annual Blue Palmetto Dinner on May 30 in South Carolina. Tickets start at $150 for the dinner, which has featured potential presidential candidates in the past, like U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who headlined last year's dinner with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). 'I will still support [the] governor, if he decided to run for president,' said King, who spent summers in Maryland where his mother grew up in the Baltimore area. But in light of the reparations veto, 'I don't think the timing is right for him to come to South Carolina,' he said in an interview Tuesday. South Carolina Democratic Party officials did not respond to requests for comment, but as recently as Wednesday the party was sending out email appeals urging people to buy tickets for the dinner and the chance to 'hear from Maryland Governor Wes Moore.' King's colleague, Rep. Annie McDaniel, a Democrat from Fairfield, said she also disagrees with Moore's veto. 'I'm not saying whether the governor's right or wrong. I'm just saying that the way he chose to handle this is not good,' McDaniel said in an interview Tuesday. 'It's not good for the plight that African Americans are on now in this state.' But McDaniel, who chairs the state's Legislative Black Caucus, also said Moore should attend the Blue Palmetto Dinner and explain himself. She said she would also like to see an invitation extended to Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), the chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus. 'I think that would be an awesome opportunity,' McDaniel said. 'I don't want the conversation to be one-sided. I believe in fairness. I just think that having her [Wilkins] in the room and having him [Moore] in the room at the same time will give us an opportunity to hear both sides.' Wilkins declined to comment Tuesday. A spokesperson for the governor's office also declined to comment. Moore's veto Friday was announced hours after he spoke at commencement for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities, and the day before an unrelated reparations rally in Washington, D.C. Moore to veto reparations bill, one of a list of measures he will reject The governor's decision has sparked some conversation on online broadcasts and among civil rights organizations. David Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Collective, called the governor's decision in a statement Tuesday 'a betrayal of generational efforts to pursue truth, healing, and repair.' 'As the first Black governor of Maryland, Gov. Moore had an opportunity to lead with moral clarity, political courage, and historical awareness,' Johns said in a statement Tuesday. 'Instead, his decision represents a dangerous step backward in the long and necessary march toward racial justice.' Outside the State House on Tuesday, as the governor was inside for the last bill-signing of the year, a small group of protesters stood on Lawyers Mall, holding signs and chanting: 'What do we want? Reparations! When do we want it? Now!' The rally was led by Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing Black Lawyers for Justice, who said the legislature should override Moore's veto. 'Clearly, the governor's not for reparations,' Shabazz said to reporters. 'And clearly, he's looking to cut off a study and calculation of an assessment of the damages of what has been done to the people and the constituents of his own state, and that's unacceptable.' But Linda Lee Tarver, with the Black conservative organization Project 21, said Wednesday that reparations aren't the answer to help Black communities. Tarver, who runs a political consulting business in Lansing, Michigan, agreed with Moore's veto message that studies have been, and continue to be, done by other organizations. She referenced her own group's policy recommendations, which include election integrity, reducing 'harmful 'environmental justice' agenda,' making health care more market oriented and protecting science, technology, engineering and math instruction 'from the poison of 'equity' activists.' She said she was surprised at the apparent disconnect between Moore and the Legislative Black Caucus, which had endorsed the reparations bill. 'I believe that Gov. Wes Moore got caught in pretending to care for reparations, and then his pen was required, and he punted,' Tarver said. 'It's shameful. Just say up front you don't believe in it.' Disconnect or not, McCaskill said the debate is healthy — and the debate will continue as the commission moves forward, as she believes it will. 'I am excited to hear that it's on folks' minds, in opposition or proponents for it,' she said. 'This commission is important to hear from all Marylanders because it will eventually affect every Marylander.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Vetoes Bill Creating Reparations Commission…And Black Twitter is Big Mad
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore just pulled the plug on a state-approved bill to create a commission to study and recommend reparations for the slavery and discrimination that's taken place in America. Needless to say, Black folks are big mad. Moore sent his veto letter on May 16, applauding their work on the bill, however contending that 'now is not the time for another study.' Instead, Moore cited his own administration's record for supporting Black businesses with more than $816 million, pardoning 175,000 for cannabis convictions, increased funding for Maryland's HBCUs by nearly 60% ($1.34 billion), and more. Many on X are saying 'c'mon bruh' to Moore's decision. On the other hand, some fans saw Moore's perspective. Some citizens have expressed that the bill may not be necessary to achieve what we need to move forward. In their opinion, we've done the studies before — now it's time to make moves. The House of Delegates in Maryland were elated in April after they voted to create a reparations commission that would assess the inequalities African descendants endured via federal, state, and local policies from 1877 to 1965. According to the bill, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras led to 'economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' Forms of compensation could include apology statements, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives, and child care costs, per Maryland Matters Maryland wasn't alone. California became the first state to create a reparations Task Force, passing legislation back in 2020, followed by Illinois in 2021, and New York after in 2023. It seems Moore — the only Black governor, not just in the state, but in the entire nation — fumbled the bag before we could get on a roll. 'We have moved in partnership with leaders across the state to uplift Black families and address racial disparities in our communities,' Moore wrote in his letter Friday. 'That is the context in which I've made this difficult decision. Because while I appreciate the work that went into this legislation, I strongly believe now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rally to support reparations commission scheduled in Annapolis
Gov. Wes Moore signed more than 190 bills into law during a ceremony Tuesday at the State House. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.) While Gov. Wes Moore (D) continues to be noncommittal on whether he'll sign a Maryland Reparations Commission bill into law, a group of supporters plan to rally Friday in Annapolis to show their support for the measure. 'I would not tell the governor of Maryland what he should or should not do. All the rally is about is showing why people care about the issue,' said Prince George's County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (D), who's organizing the rally at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis. When asked if Moore — the only sitting Black governor in the nation — plans to sign the bill, a spokesperson Wednesday pointed to a statement from last month that the governor will work with 'all partners involved to ensure that we are passing legislation that will make Maryland safer, more affordable, more competitive.' Moore could sign the bill, let it go into law without his signature or, potentially, veto it. There are two more bill signing ceremonies scheduled, on May 13 and May 20. Fisher said there are a number of misconceptions about the bill, approved last month in the waning days of the 2025 legislative session. 'When you talk to people about the concept of reparations, everyone has 50 million ideas,' she said. 'A commission's important because you bring in different facets of the community together to say, 'Hey, this is what we kind of think that would work.' Nothing is going to be perfect. But it does allow you to have a meeting of the minds.' Fisher is a former state delegate who sponsored legislation to establish a reparations commission in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Hearings were held, but none of those bills ever made it out of a committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Fiscal notes with those bills said 'total expenditures would likely exceed $1 million,' for hiring at least five staff members and issuing any money to 'individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in the State.' But the fiscal note for this year's reparations bill, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's), is a much more modest $54,500 to hire one contractual archivist to help produce reports and conduct research. Muse and Del. Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored a companion House version this year that did not advance out of committee, have stressed that this year's bill is strictly a study. The bill notes commission would assess specific federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. Those years 'have led to economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The all-volunteer commission would also examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies, and would recommend appropriate reparations, which could include statements of apology, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives or child care costs. The bill calls for a commission of nearly two dozen people, including two employees from the state's four historically Black colleges and universities with expertise in the history of slavery; a representative from the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce; and the state archivist or a designee from that office. Another eight people appointed by the governor could include members such as a mental health expert, an attorney with expertise in civil rights or constitutional law, and two members of the general public. The committee would have to deliver a preliminary report of recommendations by Jan. 1, 2027, to explain any findings, and a final report by Nov. 1 of that year. Maryland joins a handful of states including California, Illinois, New York and Colorado that have approved legislation to study reparations. But advocates say Maryland should be a leader in the effort. 'If the governor were to veto it, it would be pretty devastating to the reparation's movement in general that has fought for years to put the issue on the table,' said Dayvon Love, public policy director for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle of Baltimore, who plans to speak at Friday's rally. 'It's important for a state with the largest Black caucus. It has a Black governor. That has a political environment that would be favorable to that kind of policy to demonstrate that it can be done,' he said. 'Maryland is poised to be a leader on that front.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. James environmental advocates feel ‘left'out' after recent pro-industry votes
Sharon Lavigne, founder of the environmental justice group Rise St. James, holds a sign while pointing out where her property was damaged by high wind during Hurricane Francine. (Drew Costley/ Verite News) As a resident of St. James Parish, Barbara Washington is already surrounded by plastics manufacturers, chemical companies and natural gas refineries that populate the parish. But the local government is looking to pave the way for more industry — at the expense of her community's health, she told Verite News. Washington, a co-founder of environmental justice group Inclusive Louisiana, spoke with Verite days after the parish council voted to approve two motions that showed their support for growing the presence of the petrochemical industry in town last month. The council approved at its April 2 meeting property tax exemptions for Air Products and Chemicals, along with a resolution expressing support for Formosa's efforts to bring a plastics plant to the parish. The developments come as the Trump administration pulls support for environmental justice communities around the United States and threatens to roll back environmental regulations that could protect communities like the one Washington lives in. Despite a federal court reopening a lawsuit brought by Inclusive Louisiana and other local environmentalists that could pause new industrial development, Washington said it feels 'overwhelming' to fight against various industrial projects at once. That it doesn't slow her down, though. 'We've been here before the plants ever came here,' Washington said. 'And we know something is wrong, and we keep saying it's wrong, and they keep ignoring us.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX St. James Parish is located in an area known as 'Cancer Alley' for its disproportionately high cancer rates. Elevated cancer rates in parishes in the industrial corridor that stretches from New Orleans to Baton Rouge have been attributed to high levels of toxic air pollution from nearby facilities by researchers from Tulane University. Most of those facilities are located in predominantly-Black neighborhoods, which environmental justice activists have argued violates residents' civil rights. 'The segregated and racialized land use system of St. James Parish is directly traceable to land use methods necessary to the system of chattel slavery and the subsequent periods of violence, dispossession, and residential segregation white people carried out during the post-Reconstruction periods of neo-slavery and Jim Crow,' the lawsuit reads. Washington said the recent council votes came at the expense of the parish's public health and infrastructure. The council unanimously voted to grant Air Products & Chemicals, a petrochemical company in Convent, property tax breaks through the Industrial Tax Exemption program for the next decade. Washington said she was dissatisfied with the parish council's decision. 'And here we see that our highways are really in need of fixing,' Washington said. 'The burden of all of this falls on the community when they don't pay their fair share of taxes.' Air Products has resumed use of machinery that converts methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the cleaner fuel hydrogen, which had been sitting idle since 2020, said Art George, a spokesman for the company. The plant where the machinery, called a natural gas reformer, is located is a part of the company's Gulf Coast hydrogen gas pipeline system, according to a state database. The pipeline delivers refined hydrogen gas across the coast, making it the largest hydrogen pipeline system in the world, George said. But the reformer in Convent also produces gases that speed up climate change such as carbon dioxide and pose dangers to human health such as carbon monoxide. 'We feel left out, because every time we go to the council meeting or the planning commission, it seems like their minds have already been made up [to be] pro-industry,' Washington said. 'They tell us that they're looking at the economic impact, but they're looking at wealth, and we are looking at health.' The St. James Parish Council also voted to symbolically voice support for a controversial petrochemical complex that would be one of the largest in the world if completed. Formosa's 'Sunshine Project' would manufacture plastic items and emit known carcinogens like ethylene oxide, benzene and formaldehyde into the nearby community, a predominantly Black residential neighborhood in St. James' Fifth District. The project has faced several delays due to lawsuits and permitting issues. Anthony 'AJ' Jasmin, the council parish representative for 5th district, introduced the resolution reaffirming the parish government's support for Formosa with the support of Parish President Pete Dufresne. All but one parish councilmember — Donald Nash, who represents the 7th district — voted yes on the resolution. Sharon Lavigne, the founder of environmental justice organization RISE St. James, is one of Jasmin's constituents. She said she was disappointed by the resolution he introduced. 'It felt like a betrayal,' she said. 'I feel like he let us down.' St. James Parish Council members did not respond to requests for comment. The communities around the proposed Formosa plant are already at high risk of exposure to toxic air releases, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's EJScreen, an environmental justice mapping tool that was taken down by the Trump administration in February. 'As a citizen of St. James Parish, naturally, me being here with all of the toxic pollution that we are breathing and getting sick from and dying from cancer, I'm very disappointed in them passing a resolution that will continue to harm our air, our water and our land,' Washington said. The parish council passed the resolution despite the troubled economic outlook for plastic production. An April report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analytics recommended that Formosa abandon its project in St. James. Oversaturation in the plastics market, slow industrial growth and shifts to sustainable goods contribute to the poor projections for the project and the polyethylene sector as a whole, the report reads, and the company's performance has declined over the past four years. Despite the bleak picture painted by the report, a Formosa spokesperson, Janile Parks, reaffirmed the company's commitment to the project. 'FG is disappointed by the delays the project has faced, but remains confident that all permits were properly issued,' Parks said in a statement. 'We do not intend to give up the fight for this important economic development project that will benefit the people of St. James Parish and Louisiana.' But Formosa's claim that it has all the permits necessary for construction is 'misleading,' said Mike Brown, an Earthjustice attorney. Earthjustice represents Rise St. James in their lawsuit against Formosa. Brown said Formosa can't meet the newer and stricter standards for fine particulate matter and ethylene oxide emissions, which means that the company might not be able to renew expired permits. And although the Trump administration announced last month that the EPA is working to roll back standards for particulate matter, Brown said that effort might take years. Formosa also cannot begin construction until it receive a wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 2021, the Army Corps ordered Formosa to complete a full environmental review of the project, a complex process that takes years to complete. Parks did not respond to questions about whether or not the environmental review process had even begun, or when it is set to finish. She said the project has been paused for the past four years while Formosa works with the Army Corps. Lavigne said Rise St. James will do everything in its power to stop Formosa from completing the plans, including calling on other organizations and activists to join. 'We're not gonna roll over and say, 'Oh no, we lost,'' Lavigne said. 'We will still fight. If we lose, we will continue to fight.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
