Sacrificed: KKR & the Black and Brown Communities in the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur stands out. Port Arthur stands out on the Gulf Coast, which is where much of the US’s fossil fuel infrastructure is concentrated. The city stands out in Texas, where regulation heavily favors the fossil fuel industry. Port Arthur is 83.5% Black and Brown, with above-average unemployment. It’s a city in America’s sacrifice zone, where those without capital are seen exclusively as vehicles for exploitation.
The Gulf Coast “has the largest preponderance of refineries and petrochemical facilities in the United States,” says John Beard, Founder and Executive Director of Port Arthur Community Action Network. And the impact of that preponderance is overwhelming: worse health outcomes and high poverty for residents, while some of the world’s wealthiest companies—including KKR, the world’s largest private equity firm—extract enormous profits from the city. This report investigates the direct human impact of private equity’s bet on fossil fuels in and around Port Arthur, Texas.