EPA Opens , Civil Rights Investigations , in Louisiana .
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking into a highly-polluted industrial corridor of Louisiana known locally as Cancer Alley.
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking into a highly-polluted industrial corridor of Louisiana known locally as Cancer Alley.
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'The Guardian' reports that the EPA has opened a series of civil rights investigations into whether state agencies violated Black citizens' rights.
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'The Guardian' reports that the EPA has opened a series of civil rights investigations into whether state agencies violated Black citizens' rights.
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The investigations will focus on Louisiana’s environment department (LDEQ) over a series of permits approved in the region.
According to 'The Guardian,' the region which is comprised primarily of Black communities experiences chronic air pollution.
One investigation will reportedly examine whether the state's health department violated the rights of residents living near a neoprene facility in St.
John.
One investigation will reportedly examine whether the state's health department violated the rights of residents living near a neoprene facility in St.
John.
The neoprene facility is reportedly the only location in America to emit chloroprene, which is listed by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen.
According to 'The Guardian,' residential areas located around the site often record levels of chloroprene above the EPA's lifetime exposure guidelines.
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In the neighboring area of St.
James, an investigation will look into permits for a massive plastics site permitted to emit up to 15,400 pounds of the cancer-causing chemical ethylene oxide.
According to 'The Guardian,' that project has been placed on hold while it awaits review by the federal government.
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Environmental advocates and researchers argue that the state's permitting processes , are clearly racially biased.
We need this investigation from the perspective of racial injustice.
It is so obvious what’s happening is discriminatory, Robert Taylor, president of the Concerned Citizens of St.
John, via 'The Guardian'
