The Myth of the Altruistic Energy Industry: A Boot on the Neck of the Underserved

“The boot on your neck is just as likely to make you delusional as it is to ennoble.” ~ Ta-Nehisi Coates

The current mission of Amazon, Blackstone, and other big companies to expand energy infrastructure in Pennsylvania comes with a cynical rallying cry - “We will empower underserved communities with the promise of industry and economic opportunity!” Communities will be empowered as more money is invested in their schools. Communities will be empowered because the land they sit upon will finally be made fruitful! But will communities really be empowered when the wealth pulled from their home is exported elsewhere?

Those touting “empowerment” for the underserved often believe that marginalized communities are the victims of their own inadequacies. The Prosperity Gospel, a belief popular among groups ranging from Silicon Valley billionaires to Pennsylvania Charismatic Christians, holds that financial blessing is the will of God for them—and those who lack material wealth are simply unworthy in His eyes. We see this belief promoted even at the highest levels of government: Pastor Paula White-Cain, a leading proponent of prosperity theology, has been appointed Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office. She now serves as the spiritual advisor to President Trump. 

In reality, the wealth found in regionally rooted communities resides in their traditions, stories, and connections preserved through the generations. The recipe for a cheap pot of gumbo that can feed the whole town is cultural wealth. In my family, the skill and knowledge to plant family heirloom beans in exactly this place  is cultural wealth. The ignorance of others does not signify a flaw in these communities. 

Pennsylvanians targeted by these predatory companies are part of a long tradition of environmentally exploited and marginalized groups. From Native tribes guarding sacred lands at Standing Rock to the parents in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley to Philadelphia neighborhoods facing refinery fires and home explosions, these communities endure exploitation—yet they still fight.

The reality is that these communities provide everything a polluter needs: cheap land from historical redlining practices, community members who lack the resources to sue, a history of industrial contamination to mask modern accidents, and communities strategically deluded by the promise of socioeconomic mobility. This mobility, linked to contaminating industries like fracking, is a dream carefully sculpted from false hope. The jobs promised to residents of these communities are not filled by community members, limiting the opportunity to build local wealth. The health implications of exposure to our dirtiest industries sets the stage for generations of hardship to follow. Poor health and chronic environmental stress even reduce our capacity to think clearly.  Every boom has a bust.  When industrial giants earn the trust of our communities, they target those who have very little recourse to manage the damage they cause.

There are those who accept the pitch of an altruistic energy industry and those who see the trap being laid before them. There are those who are deluded by promises and those who are emboldened to preserve all they have.  It is the role of these communities to deeply consider the interests of those suddenly invested in their future where there was not a thought or prayer offered before.