Environmentalists seek EPA civil rights probe of Louisiana permitting

Environmental groups are asking EPA to find Louisiana is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act due to permitting decisions they say are subjecting Black residents “to disproportionate air pollution and extremely high cancer risk caused by various manufacturing facilities, including the Denka neoprene production plant.” The Jan. 20 complaint says the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) have failed to control hazardous air pollution and mitigate its harm in St. John the...