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Louisiana Stifles Community Air Monitoring with Threat of Million-Dollar Fines, Federal Lawsuit Says
- On Thursday in Baton Rouge, environmental organizations filed a federal lawsuit against Louisiana’s law—enacted last year—that sets strict requirements for community groups to report air pollution data.
- The legislation mandates that community organizations use expensive EPA-approved air monitoring devices to allege pollution breaches, effectively prohibiting the public dissemination of data collected with more affordable monitors.
- Many community organizations located in the heavily industrialized region known as "Cancer Alley," spanning parts of Louisiana near New Orleans and Baton Rouge, have ceased sharing air quality information due to concerns over potential fines that can reach up to $1 million for each violation.
- David Bookbinder called the law a 'blatant violation of free speech,' while Louisiana Chemical Association says it ensures accuracy with certified equipment and does not stop data collection.
- The lawsuit implies the law undermines public health efforts and conflicts with federal funds aimed at community air monitoring, suggesting a chilling effect on local advocacy and science sharing.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Louisiana law leaves vulnerable communities without warnings of poor air quality, lawsuit alleges
A new Louisiana law violates federal air quality protections by preventing community groups from using data collected with certain types of monitoring equipment to call out air quality violations in polluted industrial areas, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by environmental and health organizations. The stated intent of the Louisiana Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act (CAMRA), signed into law last May, is to provide the public “with …
Louisiana sued over air quality speech law
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Environmental groups sued Louisiana over new air monitoring restrictions Law threatens fines up to $1M for unapproved pollution reporting Groups say law violates free speech and public health advocacy Industrial communities like Sulphur say data sharing is now silenced On days of heavy pollution in Sulphur, a southwest Louisiana town surrounded by more than 16 industrial plants, Cynthia “Cindy” Robertson once flew a red flag…
Louisiana residents were warning their neighbors about polluted air—now the state could fine them $1M for doing it
On days of heavy pollution in Sulphur, a southwest Louisiana town surrounded by more than 16 industrial plants, Cynthia “Cindy” Robertson once flew a red flag outside her home so her community knew they faced health hazards from high levels of soot and other pollutants.But she stopped flying the flag after Louisiana passed a law last May that threatened fines of up to $1 million for sharing information about air quality that did not meet strict …
Associated Press News
Louisiana stifles community air monitoring with threat of million-dollar fines, federal lawsuit says
A coalition of Louisiana environmental groups is suing the state over a law they say violates their free speech rights by restricting them from sharing information about air quality.
Proposed state house bill could create independent airport district in Iberia Parish
NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- In Iberia Parish, a proposed state house bill could reshape how the Acadiana Regional Airport is governed. House Bill 613 was introduced by Louisiana State Representative Beau Beaullieu (R- New Iberia), at a previous meeting in April. In the original bill, it stated the current airport board would be removed from parish oversight, creating pushback from Iberia Parish councilmembers. However, due to concerns, the bill wa…
Lawsuit filed against Louisiana air monitoring law alleges first amendment violation
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Environmental and community groups filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the Louisiana Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act. The plaintiffs argue the law restricts free speech by censoring air quality data that does not come from the precise equipment required by the law. They argue that the monitors required by the law are too expensive for most community organizations. The law, which was signed by Gov. Jeff Landry May 2…
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