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.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.
Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
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