MICHAEL PHILLIS and MATTHEW DALYWASHINGTON — — Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presented an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby majority-Black community and demanding cuts in toxic emissions.
The plant has reduced its emissions over time, but the Justice Department, suing on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the plant still represents"an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and welfare,'' including elevated cancer risks. Last year, the EPA said it had evidence that Black residents face an increased cancer risk from the chemical plant and that state officials allowed the pollution to remain too high. The agency's letter is part of an investigation under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which says anyone who receives federal funds cannot discriminate based on race or national origin.