Ep 6. Point Comfort

In the sixth episode of season 2 of the Netflix original series Dirty Money, we are introduced to Point Comfort - a small, quiet town located on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The episode takes a deep dive into the town's main economic driver - a sprawling petrochemical plant owned by the conglomerate Formosa.

Through a combination of interviews with current and former Formosa employees, local activists, and government officials, as well as historical footage and court transcripts, the episode pieces together a complicated web of greed, negligence, and environmental destruction that has plagued the town for decades.

At the center of this web is Formosa, which has been repeatedly cited for violating environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, at its Point Comfort plant. The company has paid millions of dollars in fines and settlements, but has continued to operate with little consequence.

The episode explores the devastating impact that Formosa's actions have had on the health and livelihoods of the people of Point Comfort - particularly the town's black and brown communities, who have borne the brunt of the pollution and toxicity.

We hear from members of these communities who have lost loved ones to cancer and respiratory diseases, who struggle to breathe and drink and bathe in contaminated water, and who feel abandoned by a government that has failed to hold Formosa accountable.

At the same time, the episode highlights the tireless efforts of local activists and advocates who have fought back against Formosa's abuses - from organizing protests and filing lawsuits, to conducting their own water and soil tests and building a grassroots coalition of support.

Through these intertwined stories, Point Comfort paints a vivid portrait of the cost of corporate impunity and the power of community-driven resistance. It raises urgent questions about the role of government in regulating industry, the responsibility of corporations to the communities they operate in, and the unequal distribution of environmental harms and benefits along racial and economic lines.

Ultimately, the episode offers a cautionary tale about the high stakes of the ongoing battle between corporate greed and environmental justice - and a powerful reminder of the human toll of environmental degradation.