The residents of Dutchtown, on the Mississippi River in St. Louis, have long been plagued by adverse health effects from a nearby Kinder Morgan facility. Community representatives had been unable to get a meeting with the company, despite constant efforts over several years.

Kinder Morgan is the largest pipeline company in the U.S. and scores nearly at the bottom of our Racial Justice Scorecard. When we reached out as shareholders, the company ignored us. When we filed a shareholder resolution, it responded.

After months of discussions, we negotiated a withdrawal. Kinder Morgan agreed to hold ongoing meetings with Dutchtown South and to create a webpage with accessible and direct community resources. It now has met with local community groups, the mayor of St. Louis, Congresswoman Cori Bush, and one of Missouri’s State Senators. The community connected Kinder Morgan with St. Louis’ Green Schoolyards initiative. Kinder Morgan donated $10,000, allowing the initiative to reach its fundraising goal to construct its first green schoolyard, at a school serving the local neighborhood.

By filing the Climate Justice shareholder resolution, As You Sow’s Racial Justice team brought Dutchtown’s story into the light and connected shareholder advocacy to local communities. The withdrawal terms opened a channel of communication between community groups, elected representatives, and Kinder Morgan.

As shareholder advocates, we can amplify frontline voices and motivate companies to move toward an environmentally just business model. As You Sow is leading the discussion on the importance of including environmental justice when addressing racial equity in the corporate world.