Trump Administration Abandons Louisiana Families, Drops Lawsuit to Reduce Cancer-Causing Pollution

“According to news sources, the Trump administration today turned its back on Louisiana families who are at extremely high risk of developing certain cancers because of their exposure to toxic air pollution.

“For decades these families in St. John the Baptist Parish, along the banks of the Mississippi River, have been exposed to toxic air pollution. Much of the pollution comes from one chemical plant – the Denka petrochemical plant, which emits cancer-causing chloroprene. The pollution from that plant is so bad that EPA sued the facility two years ago. 

“On Tuesday night, in his address to Congress, President Trump talked a lot about the high rates of childhood cancer in our country and about getting toxins out of our environment. Today his administration reportedly decided to do the exact opposite and drop the lawsuit. 

“This shameful decision means the Trump administration is effectively abandoning communities in the area – communities facing abnormally high cancer risks who deserve clean air to breathe.”

• Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President for Healthy Communities at Environmental Defense Fund