Louisiana

Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ residents in clean air fight

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2022

Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ residents in clean air fight

Alongside a winding stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the sugar cane fields which have surrounded small neighborhoods for generations have been progressively changed by smokestacks and chemical flares.

Sharon Lavigne, a retired schoolteacher from St. James, Louisiana, and founding father of Rise St. James, a corporation dedicated to environmental justice, remembers the time earlier than business arrived within the Nineteen Eighties.

“We had clear air, and we might drink water from the hydrant. We will not try this anymore. You possibly can’t go outdoors and sit in your entrance porch for an extended time frame due to the air pollution, the scent,” Lavigne instructed ABC Information. “I want to have that again.”

Many residents on this 85-mile stretch of Louisiana discuss with it as “Most cancers Alley,” an space beforehand identified for its agriculture and remnants of former slave plantations and cemeteries. However at the moment, the realm’s predominantly Black communities are surrounded by 150 industrial crops, a state of affairs the United Nations known as “environmental racism.” The area has a 95 p.c larger threat of most cancers resulting from air air pollution than the remainder of the nation, based on the EPA.

Travis London attends the Local weather Justice and Pleasure occasion in Baton Rouge, La.

Seiji Yamashita/ABC Information

Residents have protested the economic crops for years, saying the services have an effect on their well being. Now, a number of firms and the State of Louisiana are proposing new industrial services that they are saying will likely be carbon impartial by a course of known as carbon seize. However after years of industrialization, many native residents and environmental activists are skeptical of the proposals.

The brand new tasks are in response to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ initiative to make Louisiana net-zero in emissions by 2050. Carbon seize is poised to be a key element of the state’s plans. In October 2021, Bel Edwards and the CEO of Air Merchandise and Chemical substances introduced a $4.5 billion blue hydrogen facility, which might be the biggest industrial facility using carbon seize on the planet on the time of the announcement. The proposal comes as Congress and the Biden administration permitted $3.5 billion towards carbon seize services throughout the nation within the newest infrastructure invoice.

Air Merchandise and Chemical substances plans to straight seize carbon dioxide from their proposed blue hydrogen facility and transport it through 35 miles of pipeline to a sequestration website at Lake Maurepas. The carbon dioxide will likely be injected into rock formations a mile beneath floor. The ability will extract methane from pure gasoline to create hydrogen, which will likely be used for electrical energy, powering automobiles, buses and planes.

“With the superior expertise that we’re utilizing, it permits us to seize over 95% of the CO2 and safely sequester 5 million tons a 12 months of CO2 to create that low carbon clear hydrogen for the power transition,” Simon Moore, vp of Investor & Company Relations & Sustainability at Air Merchandise and Chemical substances, instructed ABC Information.

Louisiana’s geology additionally makes it an appropriate location for carbon seize and sequestration, based on Dr. Cynthia Ebinger, a geology professor at Tulane College. “In Louisiana, we all know the place the circumstances are favorable,” Ebinger instructed ABC Information. “What we’ve are layer upon layer upon layer of sand, salts, clays, limestones – and combos of these make for storage and sealing.”

Many environmental activists have considerations concerning carbon seize proposals, nevertheless. Beverly Wright, founding father of the New Orleans-based Deep South Heart for Environmental Justice and an adviser to the White Home Environmental Justice Advisory Council, questions the science behind the method and considers carbon seize a false answer that’s “too good to be true.”

PHOTO: The entrance to an Air Products facility is shown near Donaldsonville, La. — The doorway to an Air Merchandise facility is proven close to Donaldsonville, La.
Lindsey Griswold/ABC Information

“So you actually imagine that the business that brought about this drawback can be the business that is going to repair it?” Wright instructed ABC Information. “Not an opportunity.”

For most of the space’s residents, mistrust of the business runs deep. Travis London, an environmental activist who tracks air high quality for Public Lab, lives in Donaldsonville, near an industrial ammonia plant. “I see loads of influence. I’ve seen children having issues with the allergic reactions and now have bronchial asthma,” London instructed ABC Information. “I’ve seen like, folks having most cancers on my avenue.”

Many environmental activists, together with London, at the moment are attempting to coach the general public on the dangers of carbon seize. In Baton Rouge, organizers hosted the Gulf Gathering for Local weather Justice and Pleasure, a gathering of environmental activists throughout the South combating in opposition to what they name “false guarantees” from the oil and gasoline business.

Included among the many crowd was Sharon Lavigne, who attended the rally to encourage others to take motion in opposition to business. Industrial services had been constructed subsequent to lots of her neighbors’ properties. “We had been all wholesome folks, and impulsively we seen persons are dying,” Lavigne stated.

Lavigne, whose household has lived in St. James for generations, has devoted her postretirement years to working to stop the development of recent industrial services in her hometown.

“That is our house. We love our house. And that is the place we need to be,” Lavigne stated.

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Louisiana

Terrified teens call 911 after spotting alleged Bigfoot with ‘glowing eyes’ while camping in Louisiana forest

Published

2 hours ago

July 7, 2024

Press Room

Terrified teens call 911 after spotting alleged Bigfoot with ‘glowing eyes’ while camping in Louisiana forest

Jul 07, 2024 11:47 AM IST

A group of panicked teenagers called 911 after seeing what they believed was a Bigfoot-like creature in a Louisiana forest.

A group of panicked teenagers called 911 after seeing what they believed was a Bigfoot-like creature in a Louisiana forest. The teenagers were recent high school graduates from Houma in southern Louisiana. They were camping in Kisatchie National Forest, which is about 100 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, when the incident took place.

Terrified teens call 911 after spotting alleged Bigfoot with ‘glowing eyes’ while camping in Louisiana forest (Pixabay – representational image)

The incident

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post, “After setting up camp, one member of the group ranging in ages of 17-18 called 911 frightened requesting assistance because they reportedly heard a growl and saw what appeared to be an animal that had glowing eyes and stood about 5-feet tall. Deputy B. Remo and Cpl. D. Halliburton responded to the area.”

“Deputies arrived on scene and began to walk towards the camp site looking for any suspicious activity or glowing eyes,” the post added. “Deputies then heard the group’s whistle and located them unharmed. Deputies arrived at the camp site and successfully escorted the group out of the forest.”

The post added that authorities were “unable to locate any suspicious activity involving a growl with glowing eyes and standing 5-feet tall.” “We congratulate the Houma graduates, thank you for visiting Natchitoches Parish, Kisatchie National Forest and good luck in your future,” they added.

A Bigfoot, or cryptid, is an animal whose existence is unsubstantiated, just like the yeti. There is massive scepticism around its existence, although some people have claimed to have seen it.

Among several other incidents, back in October 2023, a creature resembling Bigfoot was caught on camera walking across a hillside in Colorado. Shannon Parker and her husband Stetson spotted the creature roaming through the San Juan National Forest on two legs, near the New Mexico and Utah borders. The animal was caught on camera in a video by onlookers on a train travelling from Durango to Silverton in the southwest corner of Colorado.

News / World News / US News / Terrified teens call 911 after spotting alleged Bigfoot with ‘glowing eyes’ while camping in Louisiana forest

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Louisiana

Beryl continues to head for Texas but will still have an impact on Louisiana’s weather

Published

9 hours ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Beryl continues to head for Texas but will still have an impact on Louisiana’s weather

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Beryl is reorganizing in the Gulf after being shredded apart over the Yucatan peninsula. It’s headed for Texas with a likely landfall by Monday.

Alerts for storm surge and hurricane-force winds are all along the southeastern Texas coastline.

As of the 4 pm Saturday update, Beryl is battling dry air and wind shear which has kept it disorganized. It’s expected to head into a more conducive environment as it nears the Texas coastline. Beryl will likely increase in intensity to a Category 1 hurricane before making its final landfall. If it stays out over the water a little longer with a more northerly track, then further strengthening is anticipated.

While Louisiana won’t have any direct impacts from Beryl, it’ll still influence our weather. The increased southerly flow around it may bring some minor coastal flooding and an increased rip current threat across many of the Gulf’s beaches from Sunday through the first part of next week.

As Beryl strengthens on Sunday, it’ll pull away our rain chances, leaving us mostly dry and hot. But as it moves inland and turns toward northern Louisiana, it’ll usher in tropical moisture which will bring us higher rain chances by Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Louisiana

Retirement Systems of Alabama Boosts Holdings in Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX)

Published

16 hours ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX – Free Report) by 0.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,596 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock after buying an additional 220 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned 0.11% of Louisiana-Pacific worth $6,763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LPX. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Louisiana-Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,662,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Louisiana-Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,186,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific by 16,827.7% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 717,059 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock valued at $50,789,000 after purchasing an additional 712,823 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 83.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,563,117 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock worth $110,717,000 after buying an additional 712,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eminence Capital LP lifted its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 2,056,991 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock worth $145,697,000 after buying an additional 491,641 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LPX shares. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $98.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $89.00 to $81.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $88.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Louisiana-Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.11.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Louisiana-Pacific

Louisiana-Pacific Stock Down 3.5 %

NYSE:LPX opened at $80.23 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $86.30 and a 200 day moving average of $77.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 3.32 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.79 and a beta of 1.89. Louisiana-Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $49.47 and a 1-year high of $95.70.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The building manufacturing company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.40. Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 20.87% and a net margin of 9.74%. The company had revenue of $724.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $686.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Louisiana-Pacific Co. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 21st. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Louisiana-Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lizanne C. Gottung sold 3,591 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.18, for a total transaction of $320,245.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,095,819.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

About Louisiana-Pacific

(Free Report)

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through Siding, Oriented Strand Board, LP South America, and Other segments. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products.