EPA Backs Down on Louisiana Cancer Risk Investigations for Black Communities

The Biden administration has dropped an investigation into whether Louisiana officials put Black residents living in an industrial stretch of the state at increased cancer risk, despite finding initial evidence of racial discrimination, according to a federal court filing Tuesday. The investigation did not compel Louisiana to make any commitments of its own. The EPA said it would analyze how residents are exposed to a variety of dangerous emissions and provide recommendations. The EPA also disposed of a complaint over emissions from a proposed chemical plant to be operated by FG LA, a Formosa Plastics affiliate, in the same industrial corridor.