BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – Last June, danger shook the island of Quintana when an explosion erupted at Freeport LNG in Brazoria County.
The company recently settled in a lawsuit with the EPA after not following safety regulations per the Clean Air Act.
Melanie Oldham shares her story with KPRC 2. She is a resident of Brazoria County and the director of Better Brazoria, a community group that advocates for clean air and water. Oldham calls Freeport and surrounding areas along the Gulf Coast “sacrifice communities”.
Sacrifice communities or zones are communities that are in hot spots of chemical pollution due to concentrated industries like oil and gas. These communities typically suffer from extensive health issues.
“The American Lung Association gives Brazoria County a ‘F’ for air quality every single year,” said Melanie Oldham.
Oldham also says that Freeport is a cancer cluster with cases being eight times higher than expected.
Oldham attended COP28, a global climate conference where she was able to sit on panels and participate in rallies to voice these serious health claims and the importance of lowering fossil fuel emissions.
Global leaders at COP28 pledged to transition away from fossil fuels and Melanie says this brings hopes for communities that suffer from pollution due to fossil fuel emissions.