Introduction
Margie's Update
Filmmaker Slawomir Grünberg caught up with Margie Richard recently to ask her what's happened in her life since the filming of Fenceline. Read »
Settlement Reached
Shortly before the broadcast of Fenceline, Shell Oil and the Concerned Citizens of Norco successfully reached a buy-out/relocation settlement for the entire Diamond Community, which POV was pleased to include at the end of the film as an issue-update.
There has been tremendous interest in this story and it is now being held up as an example of community organizing and company responsivity.
As part of the ongoing dialogue, Shell Oil has been active in assuring that people hear all sides of the issue; most recently creating a website that explains the Norco story from Shell's perspective.
UPDATE, 12/23/04: The website Shell Oil created to represent their perspective on the "Fenceline" story, www.fenceline.com, is no longer live on the Internet. As a matter of balance, we now suggest checking out the Norco section of the main Shell Oil website.
POV joins many in celebrating this successful resolution.
Margie's Update
May 2004
On April 19, 2004, Margie Richard was awarded one of the 2004 Goldman Environmental Prizes in San Francisco, California. Find out more about the Goldman Award or read an interview with Margie after she received the award.
July 2002
Since Shell Chemical and the citizens of the Diamond neighborhood reached an agreement over relocation, Margie Richard has moved out of her old home and is busy getting settled in her new life.
"I am about four and a half miles away from the plant, approximately, and that proximity alone helps me because usually where I was, no matter where I turned I would see, I was just surrounded by the industrial facilities, the tanks and the pipelines and the steam and the smoke. Well I can't see that from where I am. I see houses, I see green lawns, I see trees, and I love trees, I love nature. But the proximity where I am now is really a comfort and a joy for me and was also for my mom."
"The other two streets that were excluded in the beginning are now included. And their package deal is a very good deal for those who want to relocate... [There] is money allotted for cleanup, moving, money also allotted for those who are not property-owners, who are renters, to find another rental place or do whatever they want to as far as investment... And it's a volunteer purchase program, so therefore those who want to, they do have enough to relocate. Those who don't want to relocate also have something that's in their favor. If they remain there, then the remaining of the moneys that Shell was fined from E.P.A. to take care must be placed back into upgrading the area, educational-wise, health-wise, beautification-wise, and also holistically, Norco will benefit from that also. It will never be the same, it's upward mobility, job academies, and that's further down the road but it's in the making and the plans are already being put into action."
"It's always heartbreaking for me, watching houses being torn down isn't anything easy. I know when my mother said she was ready to go, my mother does have a sense of humor, and she said to me, 'Look, do what you've got to do in a hurry, and don't try to get a sale for the house because it is dry rot.' That house was over fifty or sixty years old and it had been shaken in the 1988 explosion and was never fully solid. And I said 'Mom, we can't get rid of the house,' and she looked at me and she said 'Look, I said do what you have to do, I'm ready to get out of dodge.' And the day the house was being demolished and [so was] my mobile home, which went the next day... I called my mom and said 'I'm crying because it's like so many memories in this,' she said 'Oh,' and she made a little remark like she was crying, and she laughed then she said 'Honey, stop crying and let it go.' The memories that anyone has in something you were brought up with, it's not easy because it's part of you. It has two sides, you're glad not to be there, but on the other hand, there are so many rich memories."
Settlement Reached
Settlement Reached
Shell Chemical and the citizens of the Diamond neighborhood released this joint statement on June 20, 2002. Under the plan, all of the residents of the five streets of the Diamond community will be eligible for buyouts, at a minimum price of $80,000. Residents also can choose to remain in their homes and receive a no-interest home improvement loan of up to $25,000 that would be forgiven over a five-year period.
Joint Statement
The Concerned Citizens of Norco (CCN) and Shell Chemical LP (Shell) have engaged in a series of frank and open discussions in an attempt to understand and resolve their differences regarding the Voluntary Property Purchase Program, a program designed to create greenbelt space along the fence lines of the Shell and Motiva Enterprises (Motiva) facilities in Norco, Louisiana that was offered to residents living on two of the four streets that make up the tight-knit and historic Diamond neighborhood. CCN and Shell also discussed the Shell and Motiva Good Neighbor Initiative, which contains several programs to enhance the quality of life for all of Norco, including the Diamond neighborhood.
These discussions resulted in Shell having a greater appreciation for the unique social character and interdependencies of the Diamond neighborhood in Norco and how it was uniquely affected by the Voluntary Property Purchase Program. These discussions also resulted in the CCN having a better understanding of the Good Neighbor Initiative and its benefits for Norco and its residents, including residents of the Diamond neighborhood.
As a result of Shell's discussions with the CCN and other members of the Diamond neighborhood, Shell has developed its Diamond Options Program that consist of a Property Purchase Component and a Home Improvement Loan Component. Under the Home Improvement Loan Component, Diamond residents have the choice to stay in the Diamond neighborhood and take advantage of the Good Neighbor Initiative and other programs that Shell and Motiva offer. This component is designed to improve the lives of Diamond residents, contribute to a vibrant and growing Norco, and preserve the historic Diamond neighborhood. Under the Property Purchase Component, Diamond residents have the choice to sell their properties to Shell at a fair price and leave Norco. This component provides residents the opportunity to relocate to areas they believe are best for their families.
CCN declares that these options demonstrate Shell's commitment to the Diamond neighborhood.
Shell and CCN believe that both have acted in good faith in listening to each other
and addressing their respective concerns.
CCN appreciates the generous support of the following organizations, Commonweal, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Earthjustice, Environmental Health Fund, LA Bucket Brigade, Refinery Reform Campaign, and the Subra Company, which have contributed to achieving successful resolution.
Shell and CCN jointly declare that their discussions and the resulting Diamond Options Program have successfully resolved their differences. In addition, both Shell and CCN are committed to continuing dialogue to ensure successful implementation of the Diamond Options Program.
Signed on June 11, 2002.
Concerned Citizens of Norco
Shell Chemical LP
Learn more about the Norco settlement by visiting
The Louisiana Bucket Brigade website or the Shell Chemical "Fenceline" Web site.
UPDATE, 12/23/04: The website Shell Oil created to represent their perspective on the "Fenceline" story, www.fenceline.com, is no longer live on the Internet. As a matter of balance, we now suggest checking out the Norco section of the main Shell Oil website.