Alex Wagner

How many of you feel like you know people either in your family or your circle of friends who are suffering adverse health effects because of the proximity of this plant?

How many of you feel like you know people either in your family or your circle of friends who are suffering adverse health effects because of the proximity of this plant?

Thank you for airing it, Rachel. I think so much of what Trump is doing right now, they're betting on the abstract, right? They're betting that shutting down the Environmental Justice Department of the EPA doesn't alarm people. We don't think about the human cost of all that. And I've covered a lot of stories in the field, Rachel. This was one of the hardest I've ever borne witness to.

Thank you for airing it, Rachel. I think so much of what Trump is doing right now, they're betting on the abstract, right? They're betting that shutting down the Environmental Justice Department of the EPA doesn't alarm people. We don't think about the human cost of all that. And I've covered a lot of stories in the field, Rachel. This was one of the hardest I've ever borne witness to.

I mean, this is a community of people who have borne tragedy like I think almost no one else has. A lot of these people, you know, one of the men I talked to, he grew up on a former plantation. These are the children of sharecroppers, and those sharecroppers were the children of slaves.

I mean, this is a community of people who have borne tragedy like I think almost no one else has. A lot of these people, you know, one of the men I talked to, he grew up on a former plantation. These are the children of sharecroppers, and those sharecroppers were the children of slaves.

A lot of these plants, Rachel, most of them, in fact, in the area, are on the grounds of former plantations, right? There's nowhere else in Louisiana that has that stretch of land. And it's been cleared to make way for plants that the Biden administration believed was poisoning the community.

A lot of these plants, Rachel, most of them, in fact, in the area, are on the grounds of former plantations, right? There's nowhere else in Louisiana that has that stretch of land. And it's been cleared to make way for plants that the Biden administration believed was poisoning the community.

And I just for a moment thought deeply about not the irony, but the symmetry of of what were, you know, former institutions that visited trauma upon visitation. communities of color and these plants that are now reportedly, and again, according to the EPA under Joe Biden, visiting a different kind of trauma to the current population of reserve Louisiana.

And I just for a moment thought deeply about not the irony, but the symmetry of of what were, you know, former institutions that visited trauma upon visitation. communities of color and these plants that are now reportedly, and again, according to the EPA under Joe Biden, visiting a different kind of trauma to the current population of reserve Louisiana.

I want to play a little bit of sound where we talked about that, if I could, that legacy of slavery to petrochemical industries.

I want to play a little bit of sound where we talked about that, if I could, that legacy of slavery to petrochemical industries.

What does that tell you as people of color in this country?

What does that tell you as people of color in this country?

Yeah, I will say, I mean, they have been grappling with this for decades and they have been going to local and state officials and federal officials, even under Obama and early Biden. They felt like their cries weren't being heard, that there was not a level of concern that matched the threat they were facing.

Yeah, I will say, I mean, they have been grappling with this for decades and they have been going to local and state officials and federal officials, even under Obama and early Biden. They felt like their cries weren't being heard, that there was not a level of concern that matched the threat they were facing.

And so when Michael Regan, who is the EPA head under Biden, who is also black, came down and met with Robert Taylor, the older gentleman that you saw in that earlier clip and said, we're going to do something about this. I think they reluctantly believed him. Right. They finally felt like, OK, we've reached a threshold at which they can't ignore this anymore.

And so when Michael Regan, who is the EPA head under Biden, who is also black, came down and met with Robert Taylor, the older gentleman that you saw in that earlier clip and said, we're going to do something about this. I think they reluctantly believed him. Right. They finally felt like, OK, we've reached a threshold at which they can't ignore this anymore.

At the same time, you know, I think you can talk to many people of color in this country who don't take any advancement for granted. And so I don't think there was. And from the conversations I had, a ton of surprise that Trump was going to reverse it. But at the same time, Rachel. There is a tenacity and a resilience in this community.

At the same time, you know, I think you can talk to many people of color in this country who don't take any advancement for granted. And so I don't think there was. And from the conversations I had, a ton of surprise that Trump was going to reverse it. But at the same time, Rachel. There is a tenacity and a resilience in this community.