Message From the Editor

This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the Formosa Sunshine Project in St. James Parish, Louisiana, will undergo a full formal environmental review. The decision deals a significant blow to the proposed multi-billion dollar plastics manufacturing site that would be located in the Gulf Coast region. The Corps highlighted concerns over environmental justice issues as it announced that it would require an environmental impact statement. Sharon Kelly has the story.

Meanwhile, despite rising Covid-19 cases in children, parents in Louisiana are pushing back against the governor’s mask mandate. The rejection of scientific authority has become a hallmark of, and cultural signal among, many in conservative circles. What is unfolding in Louisiana mirrors a larger trend across the nation as misinformation levels and conspiracy theories have exploded during the pandemic, often amplified by many of the same people and organizations funded by the fossil fuel industry and tied to climate science denial. Julie Dermansky reports.

And, it turns out, Wall Street analysts are advising their clients to invest in Canadian tar sands companies on the expectation that the highly controversial Line 3 and Trans Mountain Expansion pipelines overcome Indigenous-led public opposition and reach completion. This comes as climate change-fuelled wildfires continue to burn in British Columbia. Read more from Nick Cunningham.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you make it possible for DeSmog to hold accountable powerful people in industry and government. Even a $10 or $20 donation helps support DeSmog’s investigative journalism.

Army Corps Orders Environmental Review of Proposed Formosa Plastics Plant in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’

— By Sharon Kelly (4 min. read) —

The Formosa Sunshine Project in St. James Parish, Louisiana, will undergo a full formal environmental review, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in a memorandum issued today and posted on Twitter.

The decision deals a significant blow to the proposed multi-billion dollar plastics manufacturing site that would be located in the Gulf Coast region, potentially setting the project’s timetable back significantly.

Despite Rising COVID-19 Cases in Children, Louisiana Parents Push Back Against the Governor’s Mask Mandate

— By Julie Dermansky (8 min. read) —

Louisiana remains the number one state in the country for new COVID diagnoses per capita, according to the latest data released on August 16. Louisiana’s Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards warned that while the state’s dubious distinction has led to an upswing in people getting vaccinated, it is doing little to quell push-back against a temporary mask mandate he put in place on August 4 that includes mask requirements in public schools.

He added that the majority of people hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 across the state were not vaccinated.

As Wildfires Ravage British Columbia, Wall Street Tells Investors to Buy Stock in Canada’s Tar Sands

— By Nick Cunningham (7 min. read) —

Wall Street analysts are advising their clients to invest in Canadian tar sands companies on the expectation that the highly controversial Line 3 and Trans Mountain Expansion pipelines overcome Indigenous-led public opposition and reach completion.

Singling out a handful of Canadian oil companies as investment ideas, Goldman Sachs wrote in a report to its clients on August 16: “We recognize, in the near-term, that the group is facing three negative equity narratives.” This includes: investor concerns about the environmental impact of Canada’s oil sands; more oil supply from OPEC, which would compete with Canadian oil; and the long-term uncertainty about oil demand amid a global shift away from fossil fuels.

One in Three Directors at Australia’s Major Banks Have Ties to Oil, Gas, and Mining

— By Rachel Sherrington (4 min. read) —

Nearly one in three directors of Australia’s largest banks have worked for firms operating in the oil, gas and mining industries, DeSmog research has revealed, prompting concerns about a “vested interest” on the banks’ boards that campaigners fear could delay action to address climate change.

DeSmog’s research analysed director CVs on company profiles, LinkedIn pages, official filings and news clippings to log the past and present work experience of 38 current directors across Australia’s “big four” banks: ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and National Australia Bank (NAB).

How Politicians and Lobby Groups Tried — And Failed — To Co-opt Legitimate Concerns Over Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

— By Phoebe Cooke, Rachel Sherrington and Michaela Herrmann (10 min. read) —

The surreal months of the UK’s first pandemic lockdown heralded a grim new reality. Away from the frontline devastation faced by key workers, stay-at-home life was characterised by fear, loss, and unfamiliar confinement.

Against the backdrop of rising COVID-19 cases and shuttered shops, gyms, and restaurants, in May 2020 the government made available £250 million in emergency funding for low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs): schemes designed to reduce traffic on residential streets in favour of giving more outdoor space to walkers, runners, and cyclists, and to improve air quality outside people’s homes.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Turning Point USA

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a youth conservative activist organization founded by Charlie Kirk on June 5, 2012. According to its website, TPUSA’s “mission is to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.” They claim a presence on over 1,000 college campuses and high schools across the country, and label themselves the largest and fastest growing youth organization in America. The organization focuses on building “the most organized, active, and powerful conservative grassroots activist network on college campuses across the country” and has adopted the slogan “Big Government Sucks.” In August, TPUSA helped organize an anti-mask rally in Louisiana.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.