Educate. Uplift. Empower.
“Empowering individuals and families to live and lead with Love, Honor, and Peace in life and community.”
TAKE ACTION!
🚨STOP IMTT, St. Rose, from EXPANDING!
Presently, with 216 massive tanks, IMTT, ST. ROSE, IS SEEKING PERMITS TO EXPAND AND TO EMIT MORE HARMFUL CHEMICALS to make way for St. Charles Clean Fuels' "Blue" Ammonia Plant with Carbon Capture Storage (CCS)!
Stop IMTT’s Permit for Expansion in St. Rose
Deadline to Comment: September 10, 2025
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is currently reviewing a permit request from IMTT that would:
- Build an entirely new ammonia storage system in St. Rose, including:
- 4 giant ammonia tanks (plus an aqueous ammonia tank)
- Two ammonia emergency flares
- Ammonia scrubber and fugitive emissions
- Truck and ship loading for ammonia
- Re-authorize more than 20 previously approved but never-built tanks (petroleum and chemical storage).
- Increase toxic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO), while continuing to emit high levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
- Add new diesel engines and backup generators that will add more air pollution.
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Dangerous for St. Rose, Louisiana, USA
- More Tanks, More Toxins: Ammonia is hazardous — leaks, explosions, and toxic releases are real risks.
- Higher Emissions: IMTT admits its plan will increase nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide — pollutants that worsen asthma, heart disease, and smog.
- Already Overburdened: Our community is in Cancer Alley and already carries one of the highest risks of cancer from industrial air pollution in the U.S.
- False Solutions: This is tied to the proposed “blue” ammonia plant, a fossil fuel expansion project disguised as clean energy.
NO AMMONIA PLANT IN ST. ROSE! 🌹
The overburdened environmental justice communities in St. Rose are fence line neighbors to the major polluter, the International Matex Tank Terminal (IMTT), and still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida (August 2021), now face a new threat from the St. Charles Clean Fuels "Blue" Ammonia plant seeking permits to also operate on the fence line of the vulnerable communities. Shockingly, no community air monitoring is in place.
IMTT (St. Rose) has had multiple fires, was fined by the EPA, and are known polluters of scientifically-identified toxins like benzene, toluene, hexane, ethanol, acetone, dichlorodifluoromethane, m&p-Xylene, n-Heptane, n-hexane, chloromethane, trichlorofluoromethane, cyclohexane, and 2-proponal. These chemicals were detected in the community by a summa canister air sampling monitor.
Tulane Environmental Law Clinic shared that IMTT emits over 30 different toxic air pollutants and provided the health risks of the top five chemicals that are known to cause cancers and other adverse health affects. The top five pollutants are benzene, naphthalene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and ethylbenzene. (The health risks flyer is above.) This urgent situation underscores the immediate need for our work and the crucial role of funders and volunteers in addressing the environmental, health, educational, and housing needs of these underserved communities in Cancer Alley in Southern Louisiana.
Meet The Founder and Executive Director
Founder & Executive Director: Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh
Kimbrelle is a passionate educator, advocate, and community leader with a heart for uplifting underserved communities. As the Founder and Executive Director of Refined Community Empowerment (RCE), Kimbrelle is dedicated to creating programs and providing resources that inspire personal growth, collective engagement, and positive change.
With a strong background as an award-winning certified teacher, behavior interventionist, and
a John Maxwell certified speaker, trainer, and coach, Kimbrelle has over thirty years of experience developing strategies to support students, families, educators, and leaders. Her expertise in behavior management, educational equity, and community empowerment drives RCE's mission to educate, uplift, and empower individuals for a more equitable and sustainable future.
Kimbrelle's leadership extends beyond the classroom. Through RCE, she has spearheaded initiatives focused on environmental justice, youth leadership programs, and community resilience. From hosting meetings, workshops, and a health fair in Cancer Alley to sharing her moving experiences living on the fence line of a bulk chemical storage facility, implementing air monitoring, and providing resources in Africa, Kimbrelle works tirelessly to address the needs of underserved communities in the United States and abroad. A firm believer in the power of collaboration, Kimbrelle partners with local and international organizations, educators, and advocates to ensure RCE's programs are accessible and impactful.
Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh's vision for Refined Community Empowerment is rooted in her faith, resilience, and belief that communities thrive when people come together to advocate for themselves, their families, and their communities.
About Refined Community Empowerment, Inc.
Our Mission
Refined Community Empowerment educates, uplifts, and empowers individuals and families through
leadership training, environmental justice advocacy, and community-based solutions, promoting
personal growth, civic engagement, and positive change in underserved communities for a more
equitable world.
About Us
Welcome! Refined Community Empowerment is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We address International Social Injustices: Environmental Injustice, Health Disparities, Educational Inequity, and Housing Inequality. Refined Community Empowerment, Inc. was established on July 31, 2023, to help protect the people suffering from the disproportionate impacts of legacy pollution and chemicals in St. Rose (St. Charles Parish), Louisiana, a part of "Cancer Alley."
Refined Community Empowerment is helping to educate, uplift, and empower residents to advocate for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Similarly, we are unwavering in our pursuit of improving the quality of life in underserved communities. We are committed to supporting the people of villages in Ghana, Africa, who need clean water for daily survival, updated public toilets, safe school building with technology lab and library and much needed medical supplies.
USA: Underserved Communities in Louisiana
USA: Underserved Communities in Louisiana
USA: Underserved Communities in Louisiana
Helping to Improve the quality of life in communities on the fence line of petrochemical industries by advocating for clean air, water, and soil in "Cancer Alley," Louisiana, USA.
Educate
- Providing educational programs on leadership, self-awareness, environmental awareness, and stewardship
- RCE conducts informational community meetings on issues that are important to residents
- Provide access to educational technology resources to enable residents to research clean air, water, and soil initiatives locally and abroad.
Uplift
- RCE organizes community-building events to foster a sense of unity and offers a safe space for sharing experiences.
- Connects residents with resources and services (Ex. Partnership with Louisiana Just Recovery Network to replace roofs in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in August of 2021 and actions to keep new chemical industries out of the overburdened community)
- Provides tools for stress management
Empower
- RCE offers tools and opportunities to aid in communication skills for self and community advocacy.
- Provides avenues for taking action around local environmental issues
- Organizes national and international travel opportunities for cultural and environmental exchanges
We can make a meaningful difference in the lives of Cancer Alley residents who have been generationally overburdened by toxic fumes.
Africa: Support Villages in Ghana, Africa
USA: Underserved Communities in Louisiana
USA: Underserved Communities in Louisiana
Helping to improve the quality of life in farming villages by providing clean, safe, and accessible water, and improved public bathroom facilities in Ghana, Africa.
Educate
- RCE is developing the capacity to implement educational programs on leadership, self-awareness, environmental awareness, and stewardship, all of which are crucial for sustainable development.
- Provide access to educational technology resources to enable residents to research clean air, water, and soil initiatives locally and abroad.
Uplift
- RCE is building the capacity to organize community-building events, which will foster a sense of unity and a safe space for sharing experiences.
- Support the community by building improved sanitation public restroom facilities.
- Install wells to ensure access to clean and safe community water
- Provide tools for stress management
Empower
- RCE offers leadership training, tools, and opportunities to help residents advocate for themselves and the community.
- Provide avenues for taking action around local environmental issues
- Organize international travel opportunities for cultural and environmental exchanges
Access to clean water and updated restroom facilities are not mere luxuries, but urgent necessities. By taking action now, we can swiftly and significantly improve the daily lives of villagers in Ghana.
Event Flyers
