Upcoming Event:
Community Connection Sunday: Green Infrastructure
đź“… Sun, Mar 22 | 3 PMđź“Ť Village Coffeehouse, Sulphur, LA
Join Micah 6:8 Mission for Community Connection Sunday, a gathering focused on green infrastructure and building stronger local communities. This event will feature a free grocery bag giveaway, emphasizing support for Sulphur residents, though all Southwest Louisiana community members are welcome. Attendees will also receive information about utility assistance for qualifying locals and a gift card, so be sure to share the word!
✨ Open to all Southwest Louisiana residents
✨ Learn about community-driven actions and local priorities
✨ Engage in conversations about environmental and health concerns
Look Ahead to Earth Month: This gathering will also highlight opportunities to participate in April’s environmental art and cleanup events, including sorting recovered materials and contributing to the “From Reclaimed to Renewed: Creation Art for The Commons” installation.
What Are Our Scientists Working on This Month?
Holding Industry Accountable. Protecting Our Community. Demanding Safety.
Our team is actively reviewing multiple industrial permits and chemical safety issues that directly impact the health, safety, and future of families in Southwest Louisiana. These facilities continue to seek approval for expansions and emissions while many remain out of compliance and unsafe during disasters. We refuse to look away — and we will not allow silence to become consent.
SASOL — Permit Review in Progress
Our scientists are reviewing SASOL’s latest permit request. The company has a long compliance history in our region, and every new permit must be examined in the context of past releases, safety violations, and community impacts. We will share a summary once our technical review is complete.
2020 Fire & Chlorine Release — A Preventable Disaster
During Hurricane Laura, the BioLab facility in Westlake caught fire and released hazardous chlorine gas into our community. According to the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) 2023 report, more than 1 million pounds of productremained on-site before landfall and was triple-stacked in a building whose roof later failed, allowing water to contact reactive chemicals — triggering the fire and toxic release.
This disaster was not “just a storm event.” It was a failure of planning, safety culture, and responsibility.
🎥 Watch the CSB video on what went wrong:
Our position: No permit expansions for BioLab until public safety comes first.
WESTLAKE — Permit & Public Comment Action
Westlake is seeking a permit that would allow:
- 31.05 tons of toxic air pollution
- $136,012,133 in projected climate-related social costs
- 162 projected climate-related deaths
- In violation of ALL 14 elements of OSHA Process Safety Management
The permit application even contradicts itself, and the company has not demonstrated that these changes will be safefor workers or nearby neighborhoods.
We submitted many signed community comments — and now we are requesting a public hearing. We need people present. You do not have to speak — just show up and sign in as “opposed.”
HOW TO TAKE ACTION — Comment Letter Instructions
Step-by-step to make your public comment count:
- Copy & paste your chosen comment letter into an email
- Send to:
deq.publicnotices@la.gov - Add personal notes if you want (optional)
- Subject line:
Westlake US 2 LLC AI 1255, Permit Number 2270-V7, Activity Number PER20230004 - CC:
micah68mission@micah68mission.org - DEADLINE: Must be emailed by Friday, November 7, 2025
- Click on the COMMENT LETTER button below to copy and paste your letter or download a ready to print PDF.
WHAT THIS ALL MEANS FOR OUR COMMUNITY
When corporations gamble with safety, it is our children, elders, workers, and neighborhoods that pay the price. We are done burying disasters under press releases, silence, and “acts of God.” These facilities operate in our backyards — and we will hold them accountable.
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS MONTH
- âś… Submit a public comment
- âś… Attend the Westlake public hearing
- âś… Share this information with neighbors
- âś… Support local environmental justice groups
Together, we can prevent the next BioLab — not just respond to it.
About Our Community Connection Sundays
Community Connection Sundays are a special time when neighbors, families, and friends come together to learn, listen, and build stronger relationships rooted in justice and compassion. At Micah 6:8 Mission, we believe that real change begins when people gather in community — when we share our stories, our struggles, and our hopes for a better future. These Sundays create a welcoming space where everyone’s voice matters, and where faith, fellowship, and action come together to strengthen the bonds that unite us.
Each gathering focuses on connecting people to one another and to the issues that shape daily life in Southwest Louisiana. Through open conversations, shared meals, and community-led discussions, participants explore topics like environmental justice, health, economic opportunity, and faith in action. We invite local leaders, advocates, and residents to share their experiences and wisdom, helping us all see how justice and mercy can be lived out in practical, local ways.
But Community Connection Sundays are more than meetings — they are moments of renewal and empowerment. They remind us that we are not alone in the work of healing our community or caring for creation. Together, we celebrate progress, lift up one another’s voices, and seek solutions that honor both people and the planet. Guided by the spirit of Micah 6:8, we are building a network of love and justice — one Sunday, one conversation, and one act of solidarity at a time.
Past Events:
