Incinerator in Moss Point, Mississippi

On the banks of the Escatawpa River on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, there lies two cities; Moss Point and Pascagoula. Moss Point is a poor, black, middle-class town, while Pascagoula is mostly white and more affluent. In the late 1970's, Pascagoula experienced waste disposal problems, so its city council decided to build an incinerator. But Pascagoula residents vehemently protested the siting of the incinerator in their community, and a chemical company in Moss Point eventually was awarded the rights to the incinerator. The incinerator was located in Moss Point, but owned by Pascagoula. Within three miles of the site are a number of schools and homes. For many years the situation between the two cities was peaceful, but in December of 1991, the Pascagoula City Council voted to send medical waste to be burned at the Moss Point incinerator in addition to the other waste. That sent Moss Point residents into an uproar and claims of environmental racism resounded throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The most striking problem about the incinerator now is its odor. Although not hazardous, the smell is extremely bothersome to local residents. But there are other, more serious, concerns as well and that is why Moss Point filed suit to prevent any more medical waste from being burned at the incinerator. Environmentalists in Moss Point claim the incinerator is antiquated and even if its pollution controls are improved, it would still not be able to eliminate all toxins released into the air. These toxins include dioxin, mercury, and cadmium. Local doctors also worry that the burning of the medical waste will worsen the already high incidence of respiratory ailments and would also cause long-term problems such as birth defects.

The demographics of both cities and the location of the incinerator provide one of the most glaring looks at an area environmental justice needs to address. The white residents of Pascagoula did not want the incinerator, so it was located in the poorer black community of Moss Point instead and Pascagoula merely shipped their waste there. "The people of Pascagoula didn't want the incinerator," says Moss Point physician Dr. Charles Allen. "Look where it is. It is surrounded by poor people with no money for health care or legal bills." But environmental justice has helped minorities stand up for their rights and soon situations like Moss Point may well be a thing of the past.

Source: Marcia Coyle. "Town Fights Waste Plan" The National Law Journal. 21 September 1992.

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