Ascension Parish government was sued today for withholding records regarding planned industrial expansion in the parish. The parish has failed to provide information for over two months since the groups’ request was first submitted. “Rural Roots Louisiana is pursuing legal action over non-disclosure agreements signed by government officials because those agreements violate the oath they swore to serve and protect the public—not private corporations,” said Ashley Gaignard, President of Rural Roots. “Any project that impacts our health, safety, land, and water must be discussed openly, not behind closed doors.”

Rural Roots Louisiana and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade filed suit in state court today to extract records from two local entities: the Ascension Parish government and the Ascension Economic Development Corporation (AEDC). The groups requested records relating to the proposed RiverPlex MegaPark, a project that would destroy the community of Modeste and fundamentally alter the character of Donaldsonville. The records requested from Ascension Parish are non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by local government officials. According to reporting, parish officials have signed such agreements with Louisiana Economic Development (LED), and LED has signed NDAs with representatives from industry.

The suit against Ascension Parish is brought over two months after the first public records request was submitted seeking the NDA’s on September 24, 2025. Ascension Parish withheld the NDA’s on the grounds that they were exempt from the Public Records Law under a controversial amendment to the law passed in 2024 to allow records relating to economic development projects to be treated as confidential.

In the lawsuit against the AEDC, the corporation claimed to the requestors that the agency is not subject to public records law because it was formed as a non-profit corporation. The lawsuit contends that AEDC’s position that it is not subject to the public records law is inaccurate because it was formed by local governments in Ascension Parish and receives substantial public funding each year to carry out economic development activities on behalf of the Parish and local municipalities.

“It is fair to ask why the Ascension Economic Development Corporation receives six-figures of taxpayer money yet is not required to answer questions by people who live here,” said Ms. Gaignard.

“If the parish and Louisiana Economic Development had nothing to hide, we would have these records already,” said Anne Rolfes of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. “Ascension Parish’s failure to provide these records is part of an ongoing pattern of secrecy with this project. They seem to want to keep information about this project from the people who are most impacted. Our lawsuits are intended to rectify that situation.”

Ms. Gaignard’s organization is seeking the records as part of its mission within Ascension Parish.

“Rural Roots Louisiana is on the ground weatherizing homes, completing roof repairs after Hurricane Francine, and building youth leaders who understand the true meaning of democracy and community protection through community stewardship programs,” said Ms. Gaignard. “We stand firm against all these large carbon capture and sequestration developments that were never presented to residents when this MegaPark was conceptualized 10 years ago, and we will continue to defend the people’s right to transparency and safety. Our commitment is to the community—not corporations.”

The organizations are represented by Adrian Alpay, Ascension Parish-based attorney, and Pamela Spees of the Center for Constitutional Rights in the case against Ascension Economic Development Corporation; and by Pamela Spees and William Quigley, a New Orleans-based attorney and Professor Emeritus of Loyola School of Law, in the case against Ascension Parish.

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