DOJ Sues Louisiana Chemical Maker Over 'Cancer Alley' Risk

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Facts

  • The US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday filed suit on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against chemical manufacturing company Denka Performance Elastomer LLC. The lawsuit is over the company’s alleged failure to reduce the community’s exposure to the carcinogenic chloroprene from its synthetic rubber plant in LaPlace, Louisiana.1
  • In 2015, Denka, a Japanese company, purchased the plant from DuPont. The plant is located in Louisiana’s industrial corridor that's often referred to as “Cancer Alley” — an area in which Black residents have been disproportionately exposed in the areas along the Mississippi River.1
  • The EPA says the company has gradually reduced the plant’s emissions over time, but EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Denka hasn’t “moved far enough or fast enough” to increase the community’s safety.2
  • The surrounding community of the plant resides in St. John the Baptist Parish, which is 59% Black. In addition, 20% of the residents within 2.5 miles of the plant are younger than 18 years old.3
  • In a statement, Denka disagreed with the EPA’s assessment of the health risks related to the plant and boasted of reducing emissions by 85% in the eight years since it took over the plant.4

Sources: 1Wall Street Journal, 2Associated Press, 3Axios and 4NBC.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. The Biden administration has again gone to bat for a vulnerable community of color that has too often been neglected and subjected to unsafe living conditions. Of course, the only site in the US that emits this compound is located in a predominately Black area. The president is taking a stand against environmental racism.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. Not everything has to be about identity politics. If the EPA has a case, it’s not because the majority of people affected are Black, but because they’re Americans. Hopefully, the administration is looking out for the health and well-being of everyone in the US, regardless of race.