"We Want to Breathe": A Deeply Disturbing Decision from MDEQ
- Zakiya Summers
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
On October 16, 2025, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) approved a permit request from Drax to increase its emissions at the Amite BioEnergy wood pellet plant in Gloster. This decision is deeply disturbing and disheartening—not only for the residents of Gloster, but for every Mississippian who values public health, environmental justice, and government accountability.
In January of this year, I sent a formal letter to the MDEQ Executive Director expressing strong opposition to Drax’s request to become a major source of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). I did so based on my own research, the pleas of residents, and the documented pattern of violations by Drax—including previous fines for exceeding pollution limits and operating without proper authorization.
What I uncovered in my investigation, “I Want to Breathe: Impacts of the Biomass Industry in Gloster, Mississippi,” was sobering: a predominantly Black, rural town suffocating—both literally and figuratively—under the weight of unchecked industrial emissions. Residents are reporting increased respiratory illnesses and higher mortality rates since the Drax facility opened in 2013.
This spring, I introduced House Bill 719, which would require MDEQ to review whether Mississippi’s current air quality standards are sufficient to protect public health—particularly for vulnerable communities living near industrial operations. Modeled after California’s Children’s Environmental Health Protection Act, this legislation offers a framework for stronger monitoring, transparency, and health-based protections.
Instead of tightening oversight, today’s permit approval signals a dangerous shift in the wrong direction.
Let us be clear: Mississippi cannot continue to sacrifice the health of Black, rural communities in the name of “green energy” profits. Biomass is not clean energy when it comes at the cost of breathing. This is not just an environmental issue—it is a moral one, and a racial justice one.
To the people of Gloster and other environmental justice communities across Mississippi: I see you. I hear you. And I will keep fighting alongside you. We want to breathe.
