Louisiana was open to Cancer Alley concessions. Then EPA dropped its investigation

By MICHAEL PHILLIS
Associated Press

The Environmental Protection Agency spent more than a year investigating whether Louisiana’s oversight of industrial air emissions discriminated against Black residents. That ended in June without Louisiana agreeing to change their practices. A draft agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that Louisiana health officials were open to stronger rules, including looking at how new industrial plants would harm Black residents. Activists worry the dropped investigation weakens the Biden administration’s commitment to tackling environmental discrimination. Experts say when Louisiana challenged the EPA’s investigation in court, federal officials may have worried that a loss would threaten their civil rights enforcement power.