Two years after an international body asked the U.S. to consider a pause on new industrial plants and protect cultural sites from heavy industry, little progress has been made.
A national delegation, including advocates living in Louisiana’s chemical corridor, met with the Biden administration this week to urge action before the president leaves office. The group called for action on everything from racial profiling to discriminatory immigration practices to environmental pollution.
A United Nations committee found the U.S. has failed to live up to a 1965 commitment to end all forms of racial discrimination.
“We preach human rights around the world, but we don't practice it here at home. And it's about time that we do it right,” said Jamil Dakwar, the director of the American Civil Rights Union’s human rights program, after meeting with White House officials.
Barbara Washington, a St. James native and co-founder of the environmental group Inclusive Louisiana, traveled to Switzerland in 2022 to speak with the U.N. about the disproportionate buildout of petrochemical facilities across the region. Nicknamed “Cancer Alley,” more than 200 plants are now concentrated along the Mississippi River, making it one of the country’s largest hotspots for toxic air.
After listening to the testimony of Washington and several other Cancer Alley residents, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination agreed that the U.S. hasn’t done enough to protect its citizens from environmental discrimination.
The committee recommended U.S. officials crack down on enforcement of regulations, create protections for historical sites from extractive industries and consider implementing a moratorium on new plants and the expansion of existing facilities.
“The Biden administration committed to advocating racial equity. Yet, despite this promise and the clear recommendations from the international community, Black communities like ours are still left to fight alone,” Washington said after meeting with White House officials and federal environmental regulators.
Last year, Washington’s group as well as several other environmental groups sued St. James Parish in an effort to force local officials to pause the approval of more chemical plants. That court hearing is set for Oct. 7 in New Orleans.
The groups have also spoken with UNESCO in hopes of creating a World Heritage site to protect burial areas from development.
“We've endured the consequences of polluted air, contaminated soil, and poisoned water,” said Washington. “We aspire to be better stewards of the earth that God created for us, and together, we can bring about the change our communities so urgently need.”
The delegation also called on the Biden administration to create an independent body to ensure the country follows through on its human rights obligations. More than 100 countries already have a National Human Rights Institute to integrate those obligations into domestic law and policy.
Dakwar noted that the U.S. has supported the creation of such bodies in other countries, even sponsoring resolutions, but officials have yet to take action at home.
“It is really important that we match the rhetoric with actions,” he said.
The delegation asked the Biden administration to create an action plan for implementing the international committee’s recommendations.
