“Between Numbers and Narratives”: Cumulative Impacts Through the Lenses of History and StoryMap in West Port Arthur,Texas

Abstract

This study utilizes a collaborative and historical research approach to examine how and why environmental and socioeconomic burdens have accumulated over time in Port Arthur, Texas, especially on its west side. As a majority non-White city ringed by refining and petrochemical facilities—including the second largest oil refinery in North America—Port Arthur has long exemplified the “sacrifice zones” discussed in environmental justice literature and has been frequently cited in studies on cumulative impacts (CIs). This article offers two key contributions. First, it explores how local patterns of racism and structural inequities took shape historically, becoming ingrained especially under Jim Crow and contributing to the disproportionate exposure of Port Arthur’s Black neighborhoods to industrial pollution. We develop this explanatory framework through the georeferencing of census records, zoning and land use maps, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) datasets, as well as extensive archival research, including community newspapers and oral histories, integrating these through an analytical narrative using StoryMap. Thereby, we provide a long-term, explanatory framework especially for West Port Arthur’s consistently high percentile rankings on environmental, climate, health, and socioeconomic burden indices—such as those in the EPA’s EJScreen. Second, we situate our use of StoryMap within a broader literature on effective community outreach, education, and engagement strategies regarding CIs. We argue that StoryMap, an ArcGIS-developed platform, serves as an effective tool both for research and for community engagement, uniquely integrating historical and contemporary data to illuminate both the nature and underlying causes of Port Arthur’s cumulative environmental harms.