EPA to investigate 2 state agencies over discrimination claims
Halle Parker WWNO - New Orleans Public RadioPublished April 7, 2022 at 6:19 PM CDT
"St. John residents like Robert Taylor — who founded the Concerned Citizens of St. John, one of the complainants — have fought for fewer emissions from the Denka plant since 2016.
That was when they learned that the area suffered from cancer risks far higher than the rest of the country due to chloroprene inhalation from the plant, including children sent to learn at Fifth Ward Elementary School just a half mile away from Denka. That school is 93% minority, with mostly Black students. Taylor and most of the residents closest to the plant are also Black."
"For the Department of Environmental Quality, the EPA’s External Civil Rights Compliance Office will investigate whether the methods used in its air pollution control program have the intent or effect of subjecting people to racial discrimination, including their actions related to emissions from the Denka plant and the decision to grant 14 air permits for the Formosa Plastics industrial complex planned in St. James."
"The EPA office will also determine whether the Department of Health has failed in both providing St. John residents with information about health threats associated with Denka and other sources of air pollution and making recommendations for measures to prevent or reduce exposure. Federal officials will check whether the state agencies have procedures in place to ensure they provide meaningful access to its services and actions."
EPA Title VI and Environmental Justice
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