The Biden administration has dropped investigations into whether Louisiana officials put Black residents living in an industrial stretch of the state at increased cancer risk
FILE - Myrtle Felton, from left, Sharon Lavigne, Gail LeBoeuf and Rita Cooper, members of RISE St. James, conduct a live stream video on property owned by Formosa on March 11, 2020, in St. James Parish, La.
The Biden administration has prioritized environmental justice, drawing praise from activists for going so far as tolast year to focus on cases of alleged environmental discrimination. Those activists were dismayed to learn of the retreat in Louisiana, saying it would be"deeply problematic" if it represents a broader curtailment of civil rights investigations.
The EPA said it would analyze how residents — especially those who live near the Denka plant — are exposed to a variety of dangerous emissions. The study would aim to “characterize the current baseline cumulative health risks and burdens” in the community and provide recommendations. The EPA wants the community to participate in the process and they invited the state to take part as well, although it is not forced to.
Louisiana filed a federal lawsuit challenging those investigations in May. It accused the EPA of exceeding its authority under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by improperly pressuring the state to make radical changes to the state's air permitting regime, including implementing new practices that would consider how multiple chemical facilities in an area might cumulatively harm nearby majority-Black communities.
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