Gloster Residents Call for “Stricter Standards, Healthier Communities”
- Mississippi People's Movement
- Mar 13
- 2 min read
From: the Greater Greener Gloster Project
We are the residents of Gloster. For years, we have been breathing in the toxic emissions from the Drax wood pellet plant. Our children are coughing through the night. Our elders are struggling to breathe. Our neighbors are developing serious health conditions. And yet, our elected officials have turned a blind eye while we suffer.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We demand action now!
We call on our elected officials to:
• Investigate the health and environmental impact of the Drax facility.
• Create stricter standards for biomass emissions. Enforce real air quality protections that put people before profit.
• Stop the expansion of biomass plants that are making us sick.
• Stand with your constituents, not the corporations harming us.
LEARN MORE & GET ACTIVE
In-Person Workshop
Gloster Library
Friday, March 14th, 2025
6pm - 8pm
Day at the Capitol
Wednesday
March 19th, 2025
1pm - 2pm
Mississippi People’s Movement Statement on Gloster Community Concerns
The Mississippi People’s Movement stands in unwavering solidarity with the residents of Gloster as they demand accountability for the environmental and public health crisis caused by the Drax wood pellet plant. For too long, their concerns have been ignored, their health has been jeopardized, and their voices have been dismissed by the very officials who should be protecting them.
The severe respiratory illnesses and other health conditions plaguing Gloster residents are not coincidences—they are the direct result of unchecked pollution, weak regulations, and a permitting process that prioritizes corporate profits over community well-being. The failure of elected officials and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Permit Board to take meaningful action has left residents with no choice but to legally fight for their right to clean air, safe living conditions, and government accountability.
We support the residents of Gloster in their demands for stricter air quality protections, a full investigation into the Drax facility’s impacts, a halt to further biomass expansion, and urgent reforms to MDEQ’s permitting process. Communities must have a real say in decisions that affect their health and environment—not be treated as an afterthought.
Environmental justice is not optional. It is a right. The Mississippi People’s Movement will continue to stand with Gloster residents as they fight for justice, and we call on lawmakers to finally listen and act before more lives are harmed.
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