A southeast Louisiana official allegedly committed perjury by failing to disclose information related to a controversial grain terminal, according to a motion filed as part of a federal lawsuit brought by a prominent local climate activist. The dispute is part of a broader clash pitting officials eager to greenlight development in Louisiana’s Mississippi River Chemical Corridor against grassroots community groups challenging polluting industrial expansion in their communities. Under oath, St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard had denied the existence of text messages linked to a potential conflict of interest over rezoning for the now-halted grain terminal.
