Community advocates from four states protest ammonia industry conference in Houston
Grassroots groups from Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana, and across Texas gathered in Houston this week to protest the buildout of ammonia production facilities in their communities. Outside of the annual meeting of the Ammonia Energy Association, more than a dozen community leaders, including from San Patricio County, called out ammonia producers and allied industries for pollution and greenwashing.
“Communities all across the Gulf South and Ohio River Valley are on the front lines of a massive expansion of the ammonia industry, which aims to quadruple production in the next few years,” said Matthew Kennedy with Texas Campaign for the Environment. “Ammonia facilities are a threat to the communities where they operate, and a threat to the global climate.”
Kennedy said the fossil fuel and agrochemical corporations driving the expansion are producing ammonia from fracked methane gas for unnecessary synthetic fertilizers and plastics, and promoting it as so-called clean energy or shipping fuel.
“The Ammonia Energy Association is composed of some of the worst polluters in the world, trying to convince us that ammonia is a sustainable energy solution,” added Kennedy. “But no amount of greenwashing will change the fact that ammonia is as dirty as it is dangerous. These companies are inside strategizing about how they can build demand for their toxic products on the backs of our communities. So here outside, we will be loud and clear in telling this industry we don’t want their dirty facilities.”
Speakers at the protest included Heather Blair of the Coastal Watch Association, which is helping organize community opposition to the proposed Project YaREN ammonia plant near Ingleside Elementary School. Blair said the companies behind the project, Enbridge and Yara, have failed to offer any meaningful plan to protect residents.
“Over the past 15 years, nearly 1,000 accidents have occurred at 678 facilities storing large quantities of ammonia, and 133 of those facilities had multiple accidents,” said Blair. “And this project is just two miles from an elementary school and playground. We have asked Project YaREN to share their safety plan on multiple occasions, but they simply assure us they are taking every precaution while refusing to share any specific step they are actually taking.”
Blair also noted that Project YaREN has recently distributed backpacks to area teachers containing plastic sheets and duct tape – supplies meant to aid in sealing school windows in the event of an ammonia leak. “These were provided because when there’s a leak, there will be 6.5 minutes for residents in the area to seal the windows of their homes, offices and schools before they begin to be affected,” said Blair. “That’s 6.5 minutes from the event, not from when the alarms go off, not from when they learn about it, but from the actual event.The people of the Coastal Bend deserve better than this.”
Other event speakers included John Beard III of the Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN) in Port Arthur, Texas; Cat Adams of the Buckeye Environmental Network in Columbus, Ohio; Thomas Cole of Climate Conversation Brazoria County in Freeport, Texas; Tyler Cannon of West Virginia Citizen Action Group in Charleston, West Virginia; and Travis London of Step Up Louisiana in New Orleans, Louisiana.
John Beard III of PACAN said polluting industries like ammonia have hurt Port Arthur. “We need solutions that will help our community. These companies are always trying to pollute, especially when the people are unable to protect themselves. We need clean energy solutions that help and don't harm. We say no to ammonia today, tomorrow, and forever.”
Cat Adams of the Buckeye Environmental Network said a Nutrien ammonia plant in Lima, Ohio is driving a health crisis in that community. “Nutrien has promised the people of Lima prosperity and stability, but what they have really delivered is long-term harm. The communities downwind from the site have disproportionate rates of cancer and asthma. People living closest to Nutrien have rates of asthma that are almost two times that of the national average. People in Lima are being poisoned by ammonia.”
Research shows living near large-scale ammonia production facilities can expose residents to chronic health hazards as ammonia vapors irritate the respiratory tract, eyes, and throat, and have been linked to reduced lung function and increased coughing and wheezing in exposed populations. Long-term exposures may harm organs beyond the lungs, including the liver and kidneys, while high concentrations can lead to pulmonary edema or even death.
Thomas Cole with Climate Conversation Brazoria County said his community of Freeport, Texas is surrounded by polluters and has faced dangerous industrial accidents. “Dow Chemical had an explosion that released many different kinds of toxic gases. First they said that you don’t have to worry it – but I said ‘that’s bullshit’. I’m sorry for the language, but that’s bullshit. It took them two days to finally tell the community what they released. They’re polluting our air, they’re polluting our water, they’re killing off the sea life. People are dying. Enough.”
Tyler Cannon of West Virginia Citizen Action Group said residents of Mingo County are fighting a proposal by Transgas Development Systems to build the world’s largest ammonia plant. "For over a century, the people of West Virginia have borne the public health and environmental costs of our country's fossil fuel industry. Now, faced with proposals for ammonia production on an unprecedented scale, we are organizing for a future where our children and grandchildren can thrive – a future built on the public good, not corporate gain.”
Travis London with Step Up Louisiana noted his hometown of Donaldson, Louisiana, has suffered devastating consequences. “They come in and promise jobs to the community, and they get the City Council on board. But in the end the promises never work out for residents. Instead what we get is environmental and economic crisis.” London concluded with simple, final call: “It’s time to get rid of ammonia.”
Protesters also called out the ammonia industry’s greenwashing campaign. Most ammonia is produced using hydrogen from methane derived from fracked gas, a process that emits large amounts of carbon dioxide and relies on methane extraction and emission. Methane can initially trap 30-90 times more heat than carbon dioxide, rapidly accelerating climate change and rendering false the claims that ammonia is “clean” or a low-carbon energy source.
Matthew Kennedy said the coalition of community advocates would continue to work together and alongside allies like Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) to fight the ammonia industry’s aggressive push for expansion. “We will not stand idly by while this industry makes plans for our future,” said Kennedy. “They call ammonia safe, they call it sustainable, but we know it really means more pollution, and more illness and death, in our communities and many others.”