air pollution

People living in Louisiana’s petrochemical corridor say they’re worried about air pollution under the Trump administration. The EPA says companies can request presidential exemptions from Clean Air Act rules.

Residents of the mostly Black communities sandwiched between chemical plants along the lower Mississippi River have long said they get most of the pollution but few of the jobs produced by the region’s vast petrochemical industry.

A federal appellate court says a civil rights lawsuit alleging a south Louisiana parish engaged in racist land-use policies by placing polluting industries in majority-Black communities can move forward.

Communities living and learning near petrochemical plants will face more pollution and less federal protection under Trump’s new policies.

President Trump is reversing his predecessor’s efforts to clean up areas hardest hit by pollution from heavy industry, ports and roadways – communities that are often largely Black, Latino and low-income. He eliminated the “Justice 40” initiative the Biden created which required 40% of the benefits from certain environmental programs go to hard-hit communities. He disbanded a team of White House advisors who focus on the issue. It's part of a spate of early executive orders that align with Trump's campaign pledge to slash regulations and eliminate an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. The new administration actions end a short-lived federal embrace of environmental justice.

The proposed $1.3 billion plant would have been the largest in the world.

“The main takeaway is that a business-as-usual approach is neither sustainable nor advisable,” said U.S. Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm during a press call on Tuesday.

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board will shutter a predominantly Black elementary school that sits on the fenceline of a chemical plant. The decision came after eight years of pressure from community groups, federal agencies and lawyers.

Since the Clean Air Act took effect, emissions of the most common pollutants have fallen by around 80%.

Smith kicked off her first gospel concert tour in one of the country’s largest hotspots for toxic air last week: Louisiana’s chemical corridor.