In March 2021, the company Greenfield Louisiana LLC has proposed to build a new grain elevator, and has received air pollution permits. The project has raised concerns about grain dust emissions (Parker 2021). Further, Joy Banner, co-owner of the Fee-Fo Lay Cafe has pointed out the grain terminal's adverse effects on predominantly Black neighborshoods and nearby cultural heritage sites, including the Whitney Plantation.
Piecemeal approach to self-regulation forecloses more sweeping structural change as well as an actual check on power thru independent control over corporations
No real audit and no punishment for violating something like the UN Global Compact.
Since the CSR initiatives align with some of the infrastructure/development and personal goals of the village elites, it forecloses resistance to the mine and in fact has spawned violent defense of the mine by local people.
Mistrust of the NGOs, who come in and out, and who the corporations have carefully targeted with smear campaigns, forecloses certain kinds of alliances that could have put a check on corporate power, but perhaps not improved the lives of the villagers in the way they wanted.
They see their environmental training as enlightening the backward locals who eat turtle eggs or fish in the reefs - so here they are helping the charismatic environment and helping the unknowing locals to preserve natural beauty. They wanted to provide waste management - they believe it’s helpful to the locals and it also would help with their distaste for trash at the beaches. The other CSR initiatives are portrayed as being forcefully demanded by the village elites and given as concessions to improve security, so the narrative of “help” to the locals is less prominent.