Environmental Justice Tracker

EJ Tracker Update

EPA Announced Measures to Better Protect Residents in “Cancer Alley”

Last updated:

January 26, 2022

Statute

CAA, CWA, Other Statute

Agencies

EPA

Actions

Guidance/Policy

Following Administrator Regan’s Justice tour, EPA announced several pollution-monitoring steps to address the disproportionate pollution impacts in ‘Cancer Alley,’ including Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The Agency responded by outlining a series of broad policy actions such as conducting unannounced inspections of suspected non-compliant facilities and mobilizing agency resources to invest in community air monitoring to better protect people and public health in vulnerable areas. EPA will also work on community projects. The agency will invest $600,000 in mobile air pollution monitoring equipment that will be deployed in the communities of Mossville, St. John the Baptist Parish and St. James Parish in Louisiana, as well as other locations in the south. EPA also announced some facility-specific pollution-monitoring requirements, such as requiring the Denka facility in St. John the Baptist parish to install fenceline monitors to identify sources of pollution on site.