school children harmed by air quality

 

From cancer alley to diesel death zones, land use decisions in Louisiana fail to protect the human habitat

Chalmette Elementary school is in the third percentile worse air quality in the States; Martin Luther King Charter school in the Lower 9th Ward is in the tenth percentile worse air quality in the States

No industry No economic development is worth human lives

It seems the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and U S Senator Cassidy are not interested in protecting the human environment in Chalmette and Lower 9th ward and Lower Algiers.

Rain Carbon CII operated for years, spewing out sulfur dioxide in quantities so large that when combined with the emissions from other plants, the air quality in St Bernard Parish violates the one-hour health standard for sulfur dioxide. Rain CII acknowledged it was the source of the "lion's share of emissions." St Bernard Parish was designated non-attainment for sulfur dioxide and the State of Louisiana was finally required to ratchet down emissions through a “state implementation plan” which required all major sources of sulfur dioxide install more stringent control technologies and change processes to improve air quality.  https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-R06-OAR-2017-0558-0038

"Rain balked, however, saying it was having trouble figuring out how to monitor the heat and flow of gases and other materials at its plant because conventional meters kept melting. In 2019, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., intervened on behalf of the company and joined the state agency in successfully lobbying the EPA to delay implementation of the plan." NOLA Environmental News Tristan Baurick

The way the community concerns are ""addressed"" is a promise to reduce emissions and install pollution controls, and yet it never seems to happen

It's past time for the EPA to step in

EPA proposes to yet again designate St Bernard Parish air quality non-attainment for the one-hour health standard for sulfur dioxide.

Public comments can be made at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/12/07/2021-26433/finding-of-failure-to-attain-the-primary-2010-one-hour-sulfur-dioxide-standard-for-the-st-bernard

Comments must be received on or before January 6, 2022.

Submit your comments, identified by Docket No. EPA-R06-OAR-2017-0558, at https://www.regulations.gov. 

Public comments submitted here:      https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/12/07/2021-26433/finding-of-failure-to-attain-the-primary-2010-one-hour-sulfur-dioxide-standard-for-the-st-bernard#open-comment