Diane Wilson

Region: Coastal Plain

Topics:  Shrimping, Fishing, Fisheries, Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Public Health, Protest, Advocacy

Diane Wilson is a fourth-generation shrimper from Seadrift, Texas. She first became involved in environmental issues in 1989 when she learned of neighbors' health problems, dolphin die-offs and reduced fishery catches, and understood from the Toxic Release Inventory that Calhoun County, the rural area where she lived, led the national list for toxic emissions, from a diverse array of companies such as Alcoa Aluminum, BP Chemical, Carbon Graphite, Dow / Union Carbide, and Dupont. Ms. Wilson became more engaged when Formosa Plastics requested a wastewater permit for a major expansion in Calhoun county. Together with an affiliated non-profit, Calhoun County Resource Watch, she succeeded in pressuring the company through calls, letters, litigation, and non-violent protest to accept a zero-discharge goal, with full recycling of their wastewater stream. Other companies are now following suit.