The director of
It involves two complaints. Both accuse the
The complaints involve at least seven existing plants and two huge planned projects in two parishes in the industrial corridor between
The two in planning are a
In January, Administrator
Environmental groups call the southeast
“Nearly every census tract between
The department needs to set policies and procedures “that address and prevent the disproportionate burden of air pollution suffered by Black communities,” Professor
The complaint alleges that air emission permits approved for the grain terminal and chemical complex are part of a pattern dating back at least to 2016 and involving permits for at least six existing plants.
The clinic represents several groups fighting plans for the grain terminal, which they say is likely to release fine particle pollution.
Greenfield Chief Executive Officer
Earthjustice and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which filed a complaint against both state departments, have complained that Denka's plant — the only
The health department failed to give predominantly Black residents in St. John information about health threats from Denka's emissions, according to the complaint filed for the Concerned Citizens of St. John and the
Their complaint also says the “Sunshine Project” complex planned near
“The Sunshine Project has been thoroughly vetted and approved by parish and state bodies because it relied on sound science in design and met all regulatory criteria," spokesperson
Denka spokesman
State agencies “consider real science rather than sensational pseudo-studies," he told the newspaper.
According to a 2014 National Air Toxics Assessment by the EPA, the individual lifetime cancer risk from both chloroprene and ethylene oxide was at the rate of 2,000 cases per 1 million people — the nation's highest rate — near the Denka plant.
Denka’s chloroprene emissions have dropped dramatically since the company agreed to install new equipment in 2018. But during the past year, levels at several local monitoring sites have been above the EPA cancer risk level of 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter.
Denka has asked EPA to reconsider its listing of chloroprene as a likely human carcinogen, based on a company-sponsored peer-reviewed study.
Dorka said her office will look into whether DEQ runs its air pollution control program in ways that either have the intent or effect of subjecting individuals to racial discrimination, and into the state’s handling of Denka’s permits.
It will also review whether the health department has provided information about health threats from Denka and other nearby sources of pollution, she wrote.
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