Richmond-Bryant Jennifer, Odera M, Subra W, Vallee B, Rivers L, Kelley B, Cramer J A, Wilson A, Tran J, Beckham T, Irving J, Reams M
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8008 USA.
Louisiana Environmental Action Network, Baton Rouge, LA, 70806 USA.
Local Environ. 2024;29(1):57-73. doi: 10.1080/13549839.2023.2249498. Epub 2023 Aug 22.
Colfax, Louisiana hosts a commercial hazardous waste thermal treatment (TT) facility, which treats fireworks, explosives, and military ordnances by open-burn/open-detonation one mile from the edge of the nearest community. Seventy-one percent of Colfax's residents are Black, and forty-six percent live below poverty, indicating the community's structural vulnerability. This community-based study originated at the behest of Colfax community members. We hypothesized that the close relationships among members of this enclave may have enhanced the community's ability to mobilize in opposition to the TT facility. We conducted semi-structured oral history interviews with nineteen community members and examined the social and interorganizational networks used by the Colfax community to claim its role in decision-making regarding the TT facility after years of exclusion from this process. Interview transcripts were analyzed through the lens of community capacity theory to gain insight into how interactions among community members about the environmental hazards led to social mobilization and improved participation in the decision-making process using codes for communication, organization, and outcome. Additionally, we reviewed Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality records for complaints about the facility to gauge public participation. One notable theme across several interviews was exclusion from the initial decision-making process related to the facility. However, interviewees noted a sustained effort was made among community members to educate themselves about the facility, organize a response through neighbor-to-neighbor contact, and take action by submitting formal complaints and participating in public hearings. Through the lens of environmental justice, this study illustrates an evolving condition of procedural justice.
路易斯安那州的科尔法克斯有一家商业危险废物热处理（TT）设施，该设施在距离最近社区边缘一英里处通过露天焚烧/露天引爆的方式处理烟花、炸药和军事弹药。科尔法克斯71%的居民是黑人，46%的居民生活在贫困线以下，这表明该社区在结构上较为脆弱。这项基于社区的研究是应科尔法克斯社区成员的要求发起的。我们假设，这个飞地内成员之间的密切关系可能增强了社区动员起来反对TT设施的能力。我们对19名社区成员进行了半结构化的口述历史访谈，并研究了科尔法克斯社区在被排除在TT设施决策过程多年后，为在该设施决策中争取自身角色而使用的社会和组织间网络。通过社区能力理论的视角对访谈记录进行分析，以深入了解社区成员之间关于环境危害的互动如何通过沟通、组织和结果的编码导致社会动员并改善对决策过程的参与。此外，我们查阅了路易斯安那州环境质量部关于该设施投诉的记录，以评估公众参与情况。几次访谈中的一个显著主题是被排除在与该设施相关的初始决策过程之外。然而，受访者指出，社区成员持续努力自我了解该设施，通过邻里间联系组织回应，并通过提交正式投诉和参加公开听证会采取行动。从环境正义视角来看，本研究说明了程序正义的一种演变状况。
