"Both demand tighter rules, citing environmental justice standards"

"An environmental group is demanding that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency take emergency actions to reduce chloroprene emissions at the Denka Performance Elastomer manufacturing plant in LaPlace and ethylene oxide emissions at two nearby chemical plants, charging that EPA’s own data show nearby minority and low-income residents of St. John the Baptist Parish face the highest risk of cancer in the country.

The petition was filed with EPA Administrator Michael Regan on behalf of the Concerned Citizens of St. John group on Thursday, the same day that EPA’s own inspector general also demanded that the agency move quickly to upgrade regulation of chloroprene and ethylene oxide to reduce cancer risks in St. John and Ascension parishes and 16 other U.S. locations.

“The high cancer rates in St. John the Baptist Parish are an emblematic example of environmental racism,” said Maryum Jordan, an attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which is representing the activists group. “The communities affected by the Denka facility would greatly benefit from comprehensive, protective air regulations.”"

Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune May 8, 2021. [2]