For a Better Bayou (FABB) is a community-based organization fighting for a healthier world in Southwest Louisiana, where air quality and local waterways are heavily polluted by oil and gas refineries, Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals, and other industrial facilities. Founded in 2023 in Lake Charles, home to the largest LNG terminal in Southwest Louisiana, FABB believes that people have power in numbers and that the fossil fuel-based status quo is not the only choice. Working to build a movement for a transition away from fossil fuels and toward a renewable energy future, they educate the public about the environmental and health risks posed by these industries and advocate for policies that protect communities. In 2023 they joined six other Gulf-based organizations in petitioning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate and correct systematic abuse of Clean Air Act permitting standards violations in Louisiana and Texas, believing everyone deserves to live and thrive in a healthy and sustainable community, free from the harmful impacts of fossil fuel pollution.
Community preparing to enjoy Zydeco, gumbo, and a boat parade to the LNG Summit where Shrimpers gathered to say “Enough is Enough.: Photo courtesy of For a Better Bayou.
For a Better Bayou is led by former local refinery worker James Hiatt. He is joined by local fishers, shrimpers, and area residents concerned about present pollution levels, their potential increase in the immediate future, and long-term climate effects. They know that LNG is not “the cleanest of the fossil fuels,” as industry groups claim. Though LNG gives off less CO2 than either coal or oil during power generation, it is methane—extremely cold methane from fracking—which is 84 times worse for the climate than CO2 in the near term. In fact, when used to produce power, LNG releases twice the greenhouse gas that ordinary natural gas does, 14 times more than solar, and 50 times more than wind power. For a Better Bayou and a large cohort of advocates persuaded President Biden to call a halt to consideration of LNG export expansion in January 2024. The group celebrated that decision as “a major victory toward protecting our communities, our families, our economy, and our climate.”