A group of residents in the River Parishes have asked a federal court to block an expedited federal permit for a construction project that they say threatens the gravesites of their enslaved ancestors, reports Pelican Post.
The plaintiffs – Rural Roots Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, and Pastor Harry Joseph, Jr. – seek a temporary restraining order that would enjoin the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from issuing an expedited permit to CF Industries, which aims to build an ammonia factory on former plantation land in the historic predominantly Black community of Modeste, until the court holds a hearing.
The ammonia factory would be part of the proposed RiverPlex MegaPark, a 17,000-acre industrial development. Because the ammonia factory would impact wetlands, it requires a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read more from Pelican Post.
