Grace Morris, Grace.Morris@sierraclub.org, 973-997-7121
Emily Rosenwasser, Emily.Rosenwasser@sierraclub.org, 720-308-6055
New Orleans, La. - Residents across coastal Louisiana parishes are celebrating the news that the proposed RAM coal export terminal is officially done. The US Army Corps of Engineers quietly confirmed that the proposed RAM coal export terminal’s Army Corps permit expired on November 30, 2017.
The RAM coal export terminal would have burdened Louisiana’s threatened coastal communities with more pollution and undermined restoration initiatives. The RAM coal export terminal would have resulted in mile-long, uncovered coal trains running through communities like Gretna and Belle Chasse, turning residential areas into an industrial corridor. RAM’s 80 foot uncovered piles would have would have inundated the historic African American community of Ironton and nearby Myrtle Grove and Wood Park with coal dust pollution .
“This victory is a result of hard work by so many individuals who came together as a coalition to stand up for our communities and coastal protection,” said Audrey T. Salvant, Plaquemines Parish Councilmember. “Many times, we were told the RAM coal export terminal was a “done deal” -- and now it’s done.”
The project was opposed by local public officials and parish residents alike before the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) and in court. The proposed coal export terminal would have harmed a major restoration project in Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. In 2014, Jefferson Parish and the City of Gretna passed resolutions calling on the Army Corps to complete a thorough analysis of RAM’s impact to health, safety and coastal restoration. The company also claimed a beleaguered and ever-diminishing international coal market was economic justification.
"Our economy and livelihoods depend on coastal restoration," said Ricky Templet, Jefferson Parish Councilmember. "We need to stand behind our commitment to coastal restoration and reject projects that undermine the critical work being done to restore our coast and protect our communities.”
As coastal grassroots opposition to the RAM coal export terminal grew, the state followed suit. In December of 2014, a state judge from the 25th Judicial District Court, having determined that the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources illegally issued the permit to RAM terminals, ordered the company to re-submit its permit application with more extensive analysis. In January 2015, the Plaquemines Parish Council denied RAM a building permit. In April 2016, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources withdrew a previously issued coastal use permit.
“The expiration of the RAM coal export terminal’s permit is the culmination of so many people coming together to protect our health and land, said Linda Ramil, a resident of Wood Park. “The people of Ironton, Gretna, Myrtle Grove, and from across the region came together. The work of so many residents and leaders in coastal parishes, who were already dealing with existing coal export terminals and other heavy industrial encroachment, added up to a strong coalition fighting to defend our coastal communities.”
“We thank the Parish and City leaders and the citizens who stood up to defend our treasured communities our Louisiana coast and our quality of life," said Laurie Ledet, a resident of Gretna. "Louisiana is our home, we must protect it always.”
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The Coast Not Coal Campaign includes Clean Gulf Commerce Coalition partners Gulf Restoration Network (GRN), Louisiana Environmental Advocacy Network (LEAN) & Sierra Club