After two weeks of negotiations between more than 50 countries, the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) ended last Friday without establishing a High Seas Treaty — once again leaving more than two-thirds of the global ocean unprotected. But important progress was also made, which the Only One community of supporters has helped push for. World leaders are closer than ever before to finalizing the treaty, and there’s reason to be optimistic that the next negotiation will be the last step in the nearly two-decades–long process. We can’t let up the pressure now, and we need you with us! Can you help build momentum for the coalition to protect the High Seas by sharing our petition with your network? We’re just shy of our goal of 75,000 signatures.
Update: On May 16, 2024, the National Park Service (NPS) launched a public comment period to ask for community input on whether or not to designate the historic 11-mile stretch where Greenfield wants to build as a National Historic Landmark. This is a huge step forward for the campaign — if the NPS designates the area as a National Historic Landmark, it will stop Greenfield’s toxic project for good. You can leave a comment here; the deadline to submit is August 30, 2024.
The West Bank of St. John the Baptist Parish, a pristine 11-mile stretch along the Mississippi River, is a historic and cultural gem that is on the brink of irreversible damage.
This area, recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Places due to the proposed influx of toxic industry, is home to many descendants of enslaved people from the nearby Whitney and Evergreen Plantations. Its survival as an agrarian landscape for over 300 years stands as a testament to its significance and resilience.
But now, Greenfield Louisiana LLC, a company from Denver, wants to erase this vital history by building what would be one of the world’s largest grain elevators — the Greenfield Terminal — in the heart of this historic area. This towering structure, as tall as the Louisiana Superdome, would cause serious environmental harm, potentially disturb archaeological remains and burial grounds, and become a gateway for further industrialization by the oil and gas industry.
