A federal court ruling effectively prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from pursuing civil rights claims in one of the nation’s most polluted regions.
Louisiana climate activists are grappling with the repercussions of a federal court ruling that prevents the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from investigating civil rights claims in a heavily polluted part of the state, reports Victoria St. Martin for Inside Climate News.
“The ruling, issued earlier this month by the U.S. District Court in Western Louisiana, dealt a blow to the EPA’s use of the “disparate impact” provision of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination by people and organizations that receive federal funding.” The ruling makes permanent an injunction against using the disparate impact clause.
According to St. Martin, vice president of Earthjustice Patrice Simms said the ruling could have a ‘chilling effect’ on environmental justice movements around the country. “Debbie Chizewer, the managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Chicago office, said after the ruling that attorneys will be ‘considering all the strategies available to us’ to protect the health and continue the fight of community members.”
EPA Drops More Civil Rights Investigations
A lawsuit that halted an investigation in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ is having a chilling impact on other environmental justice cases.
Judge Halts EPA Action in ‘Cancer Alley’ Civil Rights Case
EPA investigations into violations of the Civil Rights Act in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” were ruled as “federal overreach.”
EPA Launches Environmental Justice Grant Program
The agency says the program is designed to be more accessible to smaller and underresourced communities.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
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