Community and environmental groups filed an application asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to grant review and overturn legal errors in an appeals court decision that upheld the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to issue air permits for Formosa Plastics’ massive petrochemical complex in St. James Parish.
James Yskamp, Attorney, Fossil Fuels Program: “All three of those groups alleged that Louisiana doesn’t have the expertise and resources to implement the program.”
A massive buildout of CCS projects in Louisiana threatens to extend the life of fossil fuels and perpetuate the harms of pollution in overburdened communities.
Communities polluted by industry are seeking justice and relief from ongoing state permitting decisions that allow increased pollution in areas where air quality already fails to meet legal and public health-based standards
States are unlawfully allowing more air pollution in already overburdened communities, violating federal public health standards and creating “sacrifice zones”
Michael Brown, Attorney, Fossil Fuels Program: “The Clean Air Act forbids any new source from tipping the area into a violation or contributing to a violation.”
40+ advocacy groups express outrage over arrests of Louisiana Bucket Brigade leaders, vow to stop Formosa’s plans to poison the Black community in St. James
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ruling restricts EPA and DOJ from protecting Louisiana communities from disparate environmental impacts
Decision is a major victory for RISE St. James, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Healthy Gulf, No Waste Louisiana, Center for Biological Diversity, Earthworks, the Sierra Club, and others in a years-long fight