Garbage Gumbo

John W. Sutherlin documents a landfill permit fight in Louisiana that stretched across many years and tangled together politics, environmental concerns, and the rules meant to govern them. The account is carefully researched and goes into considerable detail about how the dispute unfolded.

At its center is a small rural family whose long battle against the project cost them nearly everything they owned, though not their convictions. The narrative covers an undercover FBI sting, a federal investigation, the shortcomings of state agencies, and allegations of political corruption and corporate greed.

Beyond the single case, the book offers lessons for anyone who wants better governance in a state where money and power often seem to carry more weight than the protection of residents and the environment.