Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. (LA-02) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan calling for federal assistance to study and improve the public health and environmental impacts of emissions and polluting substances generated in the industrial hub of Louisiana’s River Parishes.

“Louisiana’s Second Congressional District includes an industrial corridor of nearly 150 oil refineries, plastics plants, and chemical facilities that spans from Baton Rouge to New Orleans,” said Congressman Carter. “But it is first and foremost an area that thousands of families, my constituents, call home. As their Congressman, it’s my number-one job to make sure that it is a safe and prosperous place to live and raise a family.”

President Biden has stated that environmental justice will be at the center of any action the Administration takes in addressing disproportionate health and environmental impacts on communities, especially communities of color. The industrial corridor of the River Parishes, where industry and daily life go hand-in-hand, has been identified as such an area. There has been longstanding concern regarding elevated and disproportionate rates of cancer and respiratory conditions in the region.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the reality that for far too many, life in the River Parishes includes devastating experiences with cancer,” said Congressman Carter. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can, and must, make needed changes to save lives.”

In the letter to Administrator Regan, Congressman Carter requests resources and assistance from the EPA in the following areas:

• Monitoring and testing to produce data that can help create standards of accountability and fair regulation based in scientific fact.
• Development of or upgrades to new, cleaner industrial technologies.
• Holistic research into the causes of cancer in the area.
• Third-party monitoring as there is a documented history of self-monitoring being inadequate.
• Cumulative impact modeling on health impacts of the industrial corridor from independent experts in the field.

Some area business groups and community leaders claim that data does not support concerns of elevated levels of cancer and other diseases in the community. Congressman Carter responds that this claim only increases the need for unbiased, transparent, and third-party monitoring and data collection, writing that, “Until we fully understand what the impact of industrial emissions are on the health and safety of our environment and communities, we cannot begin to claim that upholding the health and safety of our constituents is our top priority.”

“The collection of independent, reliable data will allow federal, state, and local governments to make informed decisions to better the public health of our community as a whole,” writes Congressman Carter. “It is a core belief of mine that no one should die for a job and that there are solutions that can provide a clean environment alongside industry. I stand ready to work with you to ensure that our parishes are models of environmental stewardship while still maintaining a robust economy.”

Original source can be found here.