Articles by Jack Brook

Louisiana Community Protest Approval Process for Ammonia Plant

ELKINSVILLE, La. (AP) — A dispute over a planned ammonia plant near a historic Black town in southeastern Louisiana ratcheted up a notch with a challenge to the state’s approval process. The battle over the plant is occurring despite the …

Feds Issue Ultimatum to Louisiana on $3 Billion Coastal Restoration Project

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — Federal officials want to know if Louisiana remains committed to a nearly $3 billion planned coastal restoration project that litigation has stalled. Federal officials warned in a Friday letter to the head of Louisiana’s Coastal …

Court Reviews Civil Rights Lawsuit Alleging Environmental Racism in Louisiana Parish

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appellate court is reviewing a civil rights lawsuit alleging a south Louisiana parish engaged in racist land-use policies to place polluting industries in majority-Black communities. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New …

New Orleans, DOJ Move to End Police Department’s Consent Decree

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion Friday in federal court to take steps to end long-standing federal oversight of the city’s police department. The city and the federal government had agreed …

Residents in Louisiana City Still Recovering From 2020 Hurricanes

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Every other day Lois Malvo waits for her son to bring six buckets of water from a spigot in the backyard. He then bathes his 78-year-old mother using water heated on the stove and washes …

Energy Giant Reports Violating Air Emissions Limits in Louisiana

British energy giant Drax Global, already under scrutiny for running afoul of environmental laws in multiple states, has disclosed to the state of Louisiana that its wood pellet production facilities emit hazardous air pollutants above their permitted limits. Drax is …

Drax Global Reports Violating Air Emissions Limits at Louisiana Plants

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — British energy giant Drax Global, already under scrutiny for running afoul of environmental laws in multiple states, has disclosed to the state of Louisiana that its wood pellet production facilities emit hazardous air pollutants above their …

Officials Cleaning Up Oil Spill in Southern Louisiana Parish

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A storage tank spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil in a southern Louisiana parish, threatening drinking water and wildlife as officials work to clean it up. The storage tank spilled Saturday morning southwest …

Louisiana’s $3B Coastal Restoration Project Divides Residents

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Proponents of a nearly $3 billion project to restore part of southeast Louisiana’s rapidly vanishing coastline released a study Tuesday touting the expected economic benefits of its construction, even as the project faces pushback and litigation …