"When ExxonMobil announced it would slow the pace of development on a $10bn plastics plant along the Texas Gulf coast, the company blamed market conditions. But it wasn't just the market applying pressure; it was a 77-year-old shrimper named Diane Wilson who refused to stay silent. Her fight exposes big oil's latest survival plan: ramping up oil and gas production to create plastic."
"When Exxon arrived in Calhoun county late last year, Wilson recognized the playbook: a rubber-stamp process rushed through a school-board meeting a requirement under Texas law for the tax abatement Exxon sought. She sued that same board in May, arguing it had violated Texas open-meeting laws in what she has called a deliberate attempt to avoid public opposition. A district judge agreed, striking down the board's approval of the tax abatement in late September."
"Less than two weeks later, Exxon announced it would pause plans for the new facility, indicating market conditions. The timing was hard to ignore. In a region dominated by fossil-fuel interests, that kind of outcome is unheard of. While Exxon hasn't reached a final investment decision, this delayed matters. It shows how even the most entrenched industries can be made to pause when local people"
ExxonMobil announced a slowdown of development on a $10bn plastics plant along the Texas Gulf Coast and cited market conditions. A 77-year-old shrimper, Diane Wilson, pursued legal action rooted in earlier pollution by Formosa Plastics, where billions of plastic pellets contaminated waterways, shorelines, and soil. Wilson sued a school board for violating Texas open-meeting laws after a rushed approval of a tax abatement, and a district judge invalidated that approval in late September. Less than two weeks later Exxon paused plans for the facility, indicating coordinated community resistance can affect fossil-to-plastics expansion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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