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Black Residents in Cancer Alley Try What May Be a Last Legal Defense to Curb Toxic Pollution

Summary

Black residents in St. James Parish, Louisiana, are using legal action to fight against discriminatory industrial zoning that has disproportionately placed petrochemical plants in majority-Black neighborhoods. Known as Cancer Alley, this region faces heightened cancer risks from pollutants. Residents claim the parish's 2014 zoning ordinance, which favored industrial development in Black areas while blocking it in majority-white districts, constitutes ongoing racial discrimination. The case hinges on whether courts accept the argument of a "continuing violation" of zoning practices. As legal tools to address environmental racism diminish, the outcome could set a significant precedent for environmental justice.

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