Louisiana environmental justice (EJ) advocates and other observers are generally backing EPA’s strategy to concede its loss of authority to enforce “disparate impacts” under civil rights law in Louisiana, saying officials understand the severity of the situation when they opted not to appeal a preliminary injunction preventing disparate impact enforcement.

Industry and environmentalists are clashing ahead of EPA’s imminent release of a suite of new rules governing power sector emissions, including tougher standards for mercury and other air toxics, new greenhouse gas standards, stricter effluent limits for wastewater discharges and first-time requirements for unregulated coal ash storage sites.