A lawsuit that halted an investigation in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ is having a chilling impact on other environmental justice cases.

After a lawsuit killed an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into civil rights violations in an area of Louisiana known as ‘Cancer Alley,’ environmental justice activists point out that the lawsuit is having a ‘chilling effect’ on other civil rights investigations, “effectively hamstringing what had been a historic aggressive approach from the agency on environmental justice issues under President Biden.”
As Willy Blackmore explains in Word In Black, “the very foundation of the EPA’s ability to investigate and act on” civil rights violations may be at risk, even as the agency had just begun to consider serious enforcement.
According to attorney Lisa Jordan, the lawsuit “challenges the entire regulatory program.” If it reaches the Supreme Court, it could have a major impact on the EPA’s power to investigate environmental justice claims. The agency recently also dropped an investigation in Flint, Michigan. “The investigation was dropped just days after the EPA abandoned the Cancer Alley one.”
FULL STORY: The EPA Is Dropping Climate Justice Investigations Left and Right

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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