Clear and Present Danger
IMTT's permit renewal and expansion threatens our community with devastating consequences
This is NOT just a renewal - it's a MAJOR EXPANSION
IMTT seeks to add a massive ammonia storage system with 4 new tanks initially, plus approval for 26 additional tanks. This represents a 681% increase in ammonia emissions - from 2.89 to 22.6 tons per year.
"You can throw a baseball and hit one of these tanks" - Gen. Russel Honoré
- Tanks just feet from residential homes
- Chemicals enter bedrooms at night
- No buffer zone protection
- 24/7 exposure to toxic emissions
- July 2020: Major fire incident
- June 2022: Petroleum manifold fire
- April 2023: Explosion injuring 2 workers
- July 2024: EPA fine for violations
"This doesn't sound like a good neighbor to me"
82 ammonia incidents nationwide in just one year (Dec 2023-2024)
- Can be fatal in high concentrations
- Destroys oxygen - we can't breathe
- Contaminates soil and water
- Emergency flares show they expect problems
25 Years of Violations & Failures
A decades-long pattern of criminal behavior, safety failures, and community harm
Criminal Conviction
IMTT pleaded guilty to criminal Clean Water Act violations for intentionally submitting false water samples for 2 years
Clean Water Act Violation
Unauthorized wetland destruction - filled 5.75 acres without permits
Worker Death
Ron Mix, 30-year veteran contractor, crushed to death when tank collapsed on him
Emissions Underreporting
Actual NOx emissions 38% higher than reported - had to revise permits
Mass Poisoning Event
Over 400 health complaints, 130+ people reported illness in first week from hydrogen sulfide emissions
Catastrophic Barge Explosion
Over-pressurization lifted barge 3-4 feet, caused $1.5 million damage, injured workers
Explosion & Fire
Two workers injured, smoke plumes reached interstate
EPA Violations
Failed hazard assessments, didn't identify VOC emissions
Hurricane Flooding
Site flooded, contamination sheen visible
Community Voices
Real people. Real suffering. Real outrage.
Rosemary Green
Forced to call 911 from chemical exposure
Click to watch on YouTube
Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh
Chemicals detected inside her home
Click to watch on YouTube
Anorna C. Johnson
Defending historic Elkinsville community
Click to watch on YouTube"I could not breathe... it came pouring in and it was so bad that it took my breath away. For the first time in my life I became confused... I called 911."
Rosemary Green
243 4th Street, St. Rose
"The air inside her home had the highest quantity of acetone followed by n-hexane and benzene, a known cancer-causing agent. These chemicals were not just outside my home, they were inside my home."
Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh
Community Advocate
"At the age of 8, I had asthma. We also have a 25% higher infertility rate in cancer alley than any other area in this country."
Clarence Smith III
20-year-old St. Rose resident
"This is a very historical site. It's very valuable, unique and sacred to us... This plant will destroy all the resources that we have."
Anorna C. Johnson
Elkinsville Historic Restoration Association
Health & Environmental Impact
The human cost of industrial pollution
96% higher risk than rest of Louisiana
40 different toxic pollutants including benzene
Children developing asthma at alarming rates
25% higher infertility rate in Cancer Alley
Toxic chemicals detected inside homes
Toxic fumes invade bedrooms, disrupting sleep
Historic Elkinsville Community Under Siege
Founded by formerly enslaved people, Elkinsville is a historically significant Black community that faces the greatest exposure risk from IMTT's operations.
"People of color get less than a quarter of the good paying industry jobs in St. Charles Parish, even though they make up one third of the working-age population."
- Gianna St. Julien, Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
This is environmental racism, plain and simple.