Over the course of 14 months, 37 chemical releases were reported to the Coast Guard's National Response Center by facilities or individuals in St. James Parish, according to an analysis by environmental advocacy groups. The list of releases ranged from reports of chemical smells to a large quantity of a known carcinogen emitted from a plastics manufacturer.

The analysis by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, H.E.L.P. Association, 350 New Orleans and L'eau est La Vie Camp concluded that accidental releases of chemicals into the air, water and soil were frequent in St. James Parish. A separate analysis by the Gulf Restoration Network concluded that the rate of releases was disproportionately high compared to the surrounding parishes.

The environmental groups say that the planned Bayou Bridge Pipeline will increase the number of incidents in the parish. "We are bearing a burden of pollution that is already too great," said Pastor Harry Joseph of the H.E.L.P. Association of St. James.

But the rate of chemical releases is not unusual for the parish, where the petrochemical industry has a large presence, said Gregory Langley, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Though St. James is the second smallest parish in the state, its location between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and access to the Mississippi River has made it prime for industrial development. "Industry does have an impact," Langley said. "And we're here to monitor what they do."

The department of environmental quality responded to most of the releases detailed in the analyses. Those that the agency did not respond to were likely too small to warrant sending staff, Langley said. The department has thus far not fined any of the companies for the incidents detailed in the analyses, including those that resulted in releases of toxic chemicals.

In February 2017, a bleed vent was left open at the American Styrenics plant near the town of Donaldsonville, according to a report with the National Response Center. About 265 pounds of benzene, a known carcinogen, were released into the air through the open vent. The state has not determined yet whether the company will be fined.

Five months after that incident, the National Response Center received a call about a leak in the side of an Occidental Chemical Corporation storage tank near Convent. One thousand pounds of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, leaked from the tank, according to the response center report. The state did not pursue enforcement actions against the company. That decision was made, in part, because the lye did not leave the company site, Langley said. Six months earlier, the same company had an equipment failure that resulted in the release of chlorine into the air.

It is difficult to know whether these events had an impact on public health or the environment, he said. In the case of oil spills, companies are required to remove the contaminates from the environment. In March 2017, a crude oil storage tank owned by Plains All American Pipeline leaked. The facility reported that 299 barrels, or 12,558 gallons, spilled into an overflow ditch.

The bulk of the oil was sucked up with a vacuum truck, Langley said, and the impacted soil was removed. Sampling after the soil removal detected benzene at a level slightly above Environmental Protection Agency screening standards. As a result, more soil was removed. Additional sampling found no further issues, Langley said.

But the department's oversight was of little assurance to Pastor Harry Joseph, with the H.E.L.P. Association. Joseph is concerned that the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, which will stretch from Lake Charles to St. James Parish, will only add to the amount of chemical releases in the parish. "Bayou Bridge will do nothing but harm us just like industry is already doing, and it's why we are calling on Governor Edwards to stop it," he said.

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