Greenfield LA, LLC intends to build a grain terminal near the Whitney Plantation and the historic Black communities in Wallace, Louisiana. The grain terminal is the latest example of environmental racism plaguing Black communities within Louisiana’s Cancer Alley.  The project has been strongly opposed by the President of the National Urban League, the Hon. Marc Morial, whose third great grandfather was enslaved on the Whitney Plantation property. A recent ProPublica article alleges that Greenfield pressured an archaeological and cultural resource firm hired to perform the required historical assessment of the site to omit findings that possible unmarked graves, local Black descendant communities and the Whitney Plantation would be adversely impacted by the grain terminal. Despite ongoing litigation and a lack of construction permits, Greenfield has begun pile driving on the site. 

Stop the Wallace Grain Elevator

On March 1, 2021, a joint public notice was published announcing Greenfield Louisiana LLC’s intent to apply for permitting for construction of a grain elevator in Wallace. The grain industry is classified as highly dangerous: grain elevators can explode, workers can suffocate from falling in the grain bins, and, most importantly, grain elevators produce particulate matter and dust that will be emitted into the air, further damaging our vulnerable and overburdened community. 
 
While our local politicians signed letters of support for the project during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our community was not informed of this project nor given the opportunity to express our concerns or communicate our opinions. 
 
We are firmly against the development of the Greenfield Grain Elevator and urge our local leaders and relevant state bodies – the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Natural Resources – to deny any permits that invite harmful industry into our community. Our community group Stop the Wallace Grain Elevator has organized several community meetings, town halls, and peaceful protests to make our voices heard.