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Why Does White East Palestine, Ohio Get Apologies, But None for Black Cancer Alley?

Summary

Environmental justice advocates have criticized the difference in response between the February 2023 fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and the ongoing pollution of St. John the Baptist Parish, also known as Cancer Alley, in Louisiana. While Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has repeatedly apologized for the East Palestine incident, which occurred in a town that is 97% white, neither DuPont nor Denka, the companies responsible for the plant in Cancer Alley, have expressed remorse for the impacts of the likely carcinogen chloroprene, despite evidence showing that the chemical emissions disproportionately affect Black communities. Meanwhile, environmental justice activists in St. James Parish have filed a federal lawsuit against the parish for racist industrial siting.

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