To kick off our 5-part video series on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), I want to bring you to Cheek, Texas—a small, rural, predominantly Black community in unincorporated Jefferson County. Cheek isn’t often in the headlines, but it’s the kind of place where the impacts of industrial projects hit hardest and where community resilience runs deep.

Recently, residents found out they’d be living next to a proposed waste well injection site—part of a growing push for CCS infrastructure. The project was nearly finalized before the public even heard about it. But people like Michelle aren’t staying silent. They’re raising awareness, asking hard questions, and organizing for their future.

Check out our conversation with Michelle below. Her story is the first in a series spotlighting Texans on the frontlines of CCS—and how petrochemical giants are shaping lives without community consent.