What to know about the controversy over a canceled grain terminal in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

NEW ORLEANS — An agricultural company did the surprise decision Tuesday to cancel a project to build a massive grain terminal in a historic black city in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” a heavily industrialized stretch of land along the Mississippi River.

The company, Greenfield Louisiana LLC, and its supporters — including Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry — blamed “special interest groups,” “plantation owners” and the Army Corps of Engineers for delaying construction of a grains that would have brought jobs and development to São João Batista Parish.

But community organizers and environmental advocates said the company caused the problem itself by trying to locate a 222-acre (90-hectare) facility in an area filled with nationally recognized historic sites and cultural spaces worthy of preservation and investment.

The Army Corps of Engineers said the company chose to build in the middle of an area with “environmental justice” and “cultural concerns,” which required it to prove it could comply with a range of laws.

Greenfield said its $800 million grain terminal would have generated more than 1,000 construction jobs, more than 300 permanent jobs, $300 million in state tax revenue and US$1.4 million in direct state and local taxes.

The company said its “facilities are expected to generate transformative social and economic benefits for the local community” and play a significant role in connecting American farmers to global markets. The facility was designed with the potential to store 11 million tons of grain.

On its website, Greenfield features testimonials from several parish residents pledging their support for the facility and the economic growth they believed it would bring.

St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard described the company’s decision as “a devastating blow to economic development” and lamented the loss of hundreds of jobs at an “eco-friendly, state-of-the-art facility.”

Van Davis, of Greenfield, blamed the project’s failure to move forward “on the repeated delays and goalpost movements we faced that ultimately became unsustainable and, as a result, our local communities lost out.”

The company said the Army Corps of Engineers recently extended the deadline for a fifth time, pushing back a decision on project permits to March 2025.

But Matt Roe, a public affairs specialist for the Army Corps of Engineers, disputed Greenfield’s framing in an emailed statement.

Roe said the company had to demonstrate compliance with several laws, including the Clean Water Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, and that “the regulations do not establish a prescribed timeline for the process.”

Roe said the project’s location “was an environment with many cultural resources” and that the Corps’ review was “timely in every respect.”

The Corps found the project would have a negative impact on historic sites. Greenfield said he would take steps to preserve any historic sites or artifacts found during construction.

Governor Jeff Landry placed blame on the Army Corps of Engineers for bringing “additional delays” by listening to “special interest groups and wealthy plantation owners rather than hard-working Louisianans.”

Opponents included sisters Joy and Jo Banner, whose nonprofit The Descendants Project purchased land in the area — including a former plantation — to protect their town’s heritage. They have gained national recognition for their efforts to invest in preserving the history of enslaved people and their descendants.

But they’re not the only people who think there should be more focus on finding other ways to bring jobs and growth to the historic black town of Wallace and the surrounding parish.

Whitney Plantation Executive Director Ashley Rogers oversees a nearby National Register Historic District that attracts 80,000 visitors a year from around the world. The area around the proposed grain terminal site offers two centuries of well-documented history and culture, containing “huge potential” for the community to capitalize on, she added.

There is also a National Historic Landmark, the Evergreen Plantation, and the Willow Grove Cemetery for descendants of the formerly enslaved, which would be adjacent to the 275-foot-tall grain terminal.

“There needs to be economic development,” Rogers said. “I just think it can be done in a way that doesn’t permanently destroy heritage and culture and the environment and ruin people’s livelihoods and homes, right?”

From Greenfield representatives to community activists, everyone acknowledged that the fight over the project had been exhausting and brutal.

In recent months, leaflets attacking local activists who opposed the cereal terminal were distributed throughout the community, including images with racist images. Greenfield representatives denied that the company had any connection to the flyers.

There are several ongoing lawsuits related to the facility filed by Descendants Project related to zoning changes and tax exemptions for the company.

Joy Banner of the Descendant Project also sued Parish Council President Michael Wright in federal court for allegedly making threats against her at a council meeting. Wright did not respond to a request for comment.

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joy Banner’s first name in the first reference. It’s Joy, not Joyce.

___

Jack Brook is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report to America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover undercovered issues.