residents of port arthur say it's making them sick. he says his family has paid the price. >> and when you think about that like you said your sister, your mother, your grandmother and you live here in port arthur within view of a all these refineries. in your heart of hearts, do you think it's connected? >> i think so. i really think that -- i really feel like a lot of people in port arthur, including my family members that i lost, probably something the effects on their health have something to do with the refineries in this area. a lot of people walking around sick, don't even know they're sick, because we're disposed to -- exposed to these chemicals every day. >> according to the department of health, the rate of cancer is higher, 8% in men and 6% in twoms. he doesn't need to see any other evidence. his mother's death hit him hardest. >> the images still got in my head, like me talking about it now, her mouth was open and tube down her throat and her eyes was wide open and they were giving her charges to her chest. and are it was -

you know, i love port arthur, i do.people to know that this area is -- it's a good community, port arthur is a nice -- it's a small town, actually raise your family in. but at the same time, be aware, you know, the oil refinery, chemical companies around here, we basically are surrounded. >> we contacted two of the largest refineries, neat neither would agree to an on-camera interview but we got a statement from an industry association that said, in part, air emissions have decreased by 56% over the past 15 years and emissions are down by over 90%. the statement went onto say, that industry had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in air emissions control projects. the epa's inter percent spurred by local activists like kelly, has made a difference here. agency officials told "america tonight," preliminary data from last year indicated air quality in the city now meets their standards. the industry group said companies had invested several million dollars in the community in the last year. including building a new h

i love port arthur. i want people to know that this is the community it is a small town that you can raise your family in. at the same time the oil refinery companies are basically surrounded. >> we contact two of the largest refineries. neither would agree to an on-camera industry but we got a statement saying in part: >> the statement went on to say: >> the epa's interveption spurred by vct -- intervention spurred by activists like kelly made a difference. data indicated air quality meets their standards. several million was invested, including building a health center for area residents. >> i'm hopeful through the coordination, the new communication linked between us, i'm hopeful that can be used to where we can agree to a plan to help better protect this community. >> port arthur has a long way to go. kelly says strong measures needs to be taken. he is staying put. >> i say to a person telling me to move, "when do we stop moving and stop and turn and fight." the industries are cping up over the count

the sleepy town of port arthur is at the end of the proposed pipeline extension, but residents already feel the ill effects of the oil industry. >> i really feel like a lot of people in port arthur, including my family, [ unintelligible ]. >> america tonight correspondent, sarah hoi, brings us the story of the residents at the top of the hour. >> when you were in high school, it's a big deal to make the varsity sports team. but to make the team when you're in elementary school, that's why a nine-year-old girl is such a big shot these days. this is a terrific story. >> reporter: being a big shot is an under statement when you see the exploits of this young lady. a player's size and particular age usually has direct correlation to that kid's skill level. but it doesn't matter when it comes to fourth grader, jaycee. >> most have to wait until high school to make the team. but jaden has not gotten out of fourth grade. but she has been with the girl's basketball team for the past two seasons. >> it's fun, and people think that i'm not good, but after that, they see different on the court. >

. >> there is another case where a woman in port arthur, texas, who was his landlady, disappeared and ironically the only thing that was found was her car and he was the last person seen with her. >> michelle's disappearance sent her mother into a serious depression. >> she became more and more despondent. she couldn't live without her daughter. she lived through her daughter. >> one morning, george would be to discover his wife was dead. >> i never felt anybody cold before. you just can't believe someone that you lived with for 34 years would do it. >> she killed herself with an overdose of barbiturates. >> when my daughter was killed, she was killed. simple. >> michelle's mother left a suicide note which included one last wish. >> george actually showed me that note that said, when you find our daughter, bury her remains next to me. bury her beside me. >> with no evidence of foul play, and without a body, the case of michelle wallace's disappearance went completely cold. >> because of the difficulties in proving the crime of murder without being awfully darn sure that your victim is

the keystone pipeline, which is already flowing and making life worse for people in places like port arthuras. already the victims of really egregious environmental injustice. the president could be doing plenty. he could be making it harder, not easier, for the oil industry. open the arctic oil drilling. he could be not opening big swaths of offshore cardinal slope u.s. for oil drilling. he could close down instead of continuing to open up more of the river basin for coal mining. here's an important one. [indiscernible] the coal industry is trying to build a bunch of massive works in the pacific northwest in order to export coal off to asia, where it will will do just as much damage on the planet as if it were burned here. the federal government has not forced those companies to include the climate effects of those projects and their environmental assessments. all they're looking at is narrow questions of what will happen very close to the ports themselves. the federal government could do that in a minute. if they did, those ports would never be built. the obama administration has done a c

increase in cancers in the area of the mining, when you've heard from the community organizer from port arthur, texas, about the increase in health effects down in the refining area, when you've heard from the community environmental groups that are having to deal with the petco problem, there are questions that should be answered and could be answered in a thorough report. and i also think that there are real issues of where the focus should be within this report. there's actually some quite good information in it that cuts very hard against allowing the keystone pipeline. >> okay. and dr. o'connor, on the ground, where this type of oil has been extracted in the past, you have seen significant and your research shows that there has been significant increase in cancer? >> exactly. in aboriginal communities that are far off the beaten track, but unfortunately at the receiving end of the river that's been used to provide water to assist this type of mining, 30% higher rate of cancer in the community of 1,100 people, a traditional aboriginal people where 80% of the community lives off the hand, t

which re-emphasized they haven't had a massacre, a mass shooting in australia since 1996, since the port arthur massacre which led to them bringing in tuough gun control. when the gun protagonists, i don't mean ordinary law-abiding citizens who have a gun for self-defense at home. i'm talking about the more extreme gun protagonists. when they say the only answer, sandy, to any of these outrages is more guns, what do you think can be done to try and change that mentality? >> oh, of course you know that since we went to work for the brady campaign, we're staunch staunch advocates for the background check. and expanding the background check so that every gun sold has a background check done on it. and in time, of course, that would weed out the bad guys with the gun being able to get them so easily. but that's logical. and of course, these people don't deal with the same kind of logic that you and i deal with. they love their guns more than they love human life. i mean, that's the bottom line. they love their guns more than they love human life. >> i mean, lonnie, that is the sad reality, it would

its final leg from cushing, oklahoma, to port arthur, texas. the obama administration approved and oil is transported on it. but the 1200-mile northern leg remains mired in bureaucratic limbo. a pop aid to president obama that they are waiting input from eight federal agencies that will have a chance to assess the state department's findings. >> one department with a study. now expert agencies, epa, others, energy department have opportunity to look at this to make their determinations. the president wants to protect their ability to do that, make the decision on best analysis and most sound science. >> this is no-brainer, should have been made. this decision should have been made a long time ago. the canadians will get the oil. whether they will sell it to us or the chinese. >> right. >> i rather it come here to america. >> reporter: environmentalists claim the extraction process in canada and risk of pipeline rupture along the way make keystone xr catastrophe -- catastrophe waiting to happen and supporters say it will create thousands of jobs