NEWS

In 2011 the EPA approved the use of PFAS, a class of toxic chemicals now known to cause serious illnesses such as cancer, in drilling and fracking activities. These chemicals were approved despite serious concerns within the EPA over their

The Louisiana state Office of Conservation is proposing new safety rules for tank batteries after a tragic explosion in February. One of these batteries, used to store oil and waste salt water, exploded, sending 14-year-old Zalee Gail Day-Smith hundreds of

Johnson Controls will pay $17.5 million to plaintiffs in class action and individual lawsuits relating to fire fighting foams used by its subsidiary Tyco Fire Products. The Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) contains polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which have been found

A federal judge in Virginia has thrown out lawsuits by environmental groups in the state who were challenging a Trump-era change to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The changes challenged would narrow the scope of the policy, limiting environmental

A new law signed into effect by Governor John Bel Edwards will allow self audits to be conducted by industrial facilities in certain situations. These audits will be done by the company that owns the facility and the records from

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

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

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

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

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