A lifelong resident of St. James Parish, Sharon Lavigne spent her childhood playing in and exploring the fields that surrounded her home.

The Louisiana community was rich in flora and fauna — foxes, rabbits and deer made frequent appearances — and contained enough fish, shrimp and fertile soil for her family to catch and grow their own food.

These days, Lavigne’s yard is filled not with wildlife and gardens but with a string of signs protesting the newest industrial plant slated for her neighborhood: the $9.4 billion Sunshine Project, named for the bridge that spans the Mississippi River to connect the western and eastern halves of the parish.