Science catches up to what residents of Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ have been saying about pollution
Race, poverty, and pollution help determine who gets sick. The Tulane Environmental Law Clinic report confirms what we continually see in our practice. Corporate polluters dump toxic pollution on low income communities. Many residents have chronic “nuisance” type symptoms from constant chemical exposures. As the report recognizes, these exposures can eventually cause life threatening cancers.
This session made the 8th consecutive year the Louisiana Legislature heaped praise on Formosa Plastics
Formosa Plastics, a Taiwanese plastic company, is planning a new plastic manufacturing facility in St. James Parish. The economic benefits of the facility are expected to be large but there has been pushback from residents who see it as another large company entering their home polluting it. Due to Louisiana’s strong economic ties to Taiwan, […]
Exxon to invest $240 million in Louisiana refinery
Exxon has announced that it will be updating one of its refineries located in Baton Rouge. The refinery currently does not comply with particulate matter pollution standards set by the EPA but due to a loophole allowing older refineries to continue operating, it was allowed to keep polluting. Now Exxon has decided to put $240 […]
EPA to Consider Strengthening Health Protections for Soot Pollution
In December 2020, the Trump administration refused to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This decision was made despite the nearly 54.4 million Americans living in counties that experienced unhealthy spikes in particulate matter air pollution. The EPA is now reconsidering this decision, citing the Clean Air Act’s requirement to protect public health […]
“Death by a thousand cuts”: How Congress continues to whittle away at a critical environmental policy
A transportation bill currently passing through congress is set to revitalize American infrastructure with increased funding and reductions to red tape hindering projects. This red tape, though, is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and rollbacks to its authority could be disastrous for the environment. The bill whittles away at NEPA authority with three small […]
NEPA Litigation Update
In July 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued its final rule updating its regulations for federal agencies to implement the National Environmental Policy (NEPA) for the first time since its creation in 1978. These changes have been contested and have been brought to federal courts in California, Virginia, New York, and the District […]
In Two Opposite Decisions on Alaska Oil Drilling, Biden Walks a Difficult Path in Search of Bipartisanship
On Tuesday, the Biden Administration announced that it would be suspending oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). Leasing began in 2017 when the Trump administration opened the wildlife refuge to oil and gas development in an effort to generate revenue. $1.1 billion was projected but the leasing has only realized […]
Big Step Forward for $50 Billion Plan to Save Louisiana Coast
The next phase of a $50 billion plan to protect the Louisiana coast from erosion and rising sea levels has cleared an important hurdle, with the Army Corps of Engineers delivering a long-awaited environmental impact statement for a key part of the project. The report, issued Thursday evening, looked at a proposal to punch a […]
This major Louisiana coastal project just received a positive report from the Corps of Engineers
One of the most expensive, ambitious and controversial projects in Louisiana’s 50-year, $50 billion bid to save the southern third of the state from disappearing like a modern-day Atlantis passed a major milestone Thursday night when the Army Corps of Engineers gave it a mostly positive assessment. Four years in the making, the Corps’ draft […]
Gillibrand Introduces Legislation To Ban Firefighting Foam With Cancer-Causing Chemicals
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has introduced a bill that would ban the use of firefighting foam that contains cancer-causing PFAS chemicals. PFAS are found in firefighting foams used at airports and military bases. Direct exposure to PFAS by firefighters has been linked to cancer. Gillibrand said the bill would create a nationwide […]