On August 22, an explosion at Smitty’s Supply, Inc. in Tangipahoa Parish  forced the evacuation of residents and prompted the mayor of Roseland to call the explosion one of the worst things ever to happen in the community. The explosion came at the end of a week in which Governor Jeff Landry appeared at the Baton Rouge Industrial Group in Ascension Parish, advocating for ever more industry in the state. Television station WAFB quoted the Governor saying, “There is a new industrial south, there is a new economy…”

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade issued this statement in response to the explosion and the Governor’s ongoing support of industrial expansion. The statement should be attributed to Anne Rolfes, Director.

“The oil and lubricants facility that exploded on Friday was built in 1969. It is much smaller than the facilities planned today. The proposed Formosa and Hyundai facilities, for example, would be among the largest in the world. But look at the impacts of the explosion at this relatively small company. It is on its third day of burning, there is oil in nearby rivers, and people have reported health problems. Why would we want to expand industry that can cause such harm?

Oil and chemical companies were  Louisiana’s idea of economic development 55 years ago when Smitty’s was constructed. Today, Governor Landy continues to cling to the worn-out idea that dangerous industry is economic progress. He has been all over the state proclaiming a new economy. In fact, Landry is so far behind he thinks he’s first. Does he really believe that steel plants, ammonia plants, plastics facilities, and methanol production is new? It’s not. It’s the same old meritless idea that has left Louisiana as one of the poorest states in the nation. If polluting industry were good for our economy, then the 200+ plants we have now should have made us rich. Instead, Louisiana is poor.

Rather than embrace a new vision and invest in Louisiana’s people, Landry is calling on the state to fork over massive amounts of capital and tax breaks to companies from the other side of the world. The $600 million package to South Korean based Hyundai is but one example of the Governor’s misplaced priorities.

It’s bad enough that Governor Landry would prefer to invest in a South Korean company before businesses owned by those of us in Louisiana. It’s even worse when you realize that the businesses will use our home as a dumping ground and that the state will look the other way as smoke and carcinogens engulf our home. Look no further than Roseland, the site of the explosion. Despite the black smoke in the air and the health problems of local people, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said that their air monitors read zero, indicating no problem. Those who are supposed to keep us safe are misleading us and, once again, protecting business at the expense of people’s health.

Governor Landry needs to get with the times and throw out the failed economic vision from the last century. Let’s invest in safe small businesses and in our people so that explosions like the one in Roseland will be a thing of the past. “

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