Air Quality Regulators in “Cancer Alley” Have Fallen Dangerously Behind ProPublica 1/29/2021
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This article was produced in partnership with The Times-Picayune and The Advocate, which was a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network in 2019.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality needs to do a better job of identifying industrial polluters that don t properly report emission violations, and it should enforce those violations more aggressively, according to a new management audit by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office.
Air Quality Regulators in “Cancer Alley” Have Fallen Dangerously Behind
An audit found that the time it takes the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to issue penalties to polluters has doubled. Some companies that have been known to violate air quality rules were able to keep at it for years, or even decades.
Jan. 29, 6 a.m. EST
A plant looms behind apartments in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, which lies in “Cancer Alley,” the stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge where a high concentration of petrochemical facilities contributes to some of the nation’s worst toxic air pollution.
Baton Rouge / louisianaradionetwork.com
Jan 26, 2021 9:23 AM
An audit from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office says the state Department of Environmental Quality has made progress in the fight against pollution, but raises concerns about regulatory enforcement.
Since 2008 the report notes we’ve seen a 75 percent decline in poor air quality days a year for sensitive groups, down to just 3.6 days every year. DEQ spokesperson Greg Langley says the state has also met other benchmarks.
“Louisiana’s passes all of the EPA’s criteria pollutants except SO2 and it’s only in two parishes, small parts of two parishes,” said Langley.
State report questions Louisiana’s air quality enforcement
Though Louisiana’s air quality has improved in recent years, state regulators should be doing more to ensure companies are complying with air quality rules, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor says.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality agreed with some of the LLA’s conclusions but said adding staff as the auditor’s office suggests may not be affordable.
According to the LLA’s analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, the number of “good” air quality days in Louisiana has increased from 191.9 days in calendar year 2008 to 232 days in 2018, or about a 21 percent improvement. Meanwhile, the number of unhealthy days for sensitive groups decreased about 75 percent, from 14.3 days to 3.6 days.
Audit of LSU Athletic Dept reveals overspending
1 month 3 weeks 6 days ago
Monday, January 25 2021
Jan 25, 2021
January 25, 2021 5:27 AM
January 25, 2021
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Source: WBRZ
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BATON ROUGE - A recent audit of the LSU Athletic Department revealed that it overspent by thousands of dollars.
The Louisiana Legislative Auditor s office reports the department made purchases that amounted to $157,540 more than it brought in for the fiscal year of 2020.
State officials say an auditor combed through information in LSU s Statement of Revenues and Expenses and found that the athletic department s total expenses amounted to $160,591,015 in comparison with the $160,433,475 it amassed in total revenue.
The football program reportedly generated the most revenue, with a total of $95,063,116, and, after expenses of $41,403,966, netted $53,659,150.