For years, communities living near petrochemical industries have fought to have their voices heard and it seems those years of advocacy are paying off. On April 6th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to curb the emissions of chemical plants in the hope of protecting the public.
The proposal would see a 6,000-ton reduction in highly toxic air emissions and comes on the heels of a groundbreaking lawsuit filed by residents of Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" who allege they are the victims of environmental racism.
The plan takes aim at ethylene oxide, or EtO, and chloroprene. Breathing in these chemicals has shown to lead to a number of devastating health impacts including cancer.
The EPA proposal would not have become reality had it not been for the intense and ongoing efforts of frontline activists like Shamyra Lavigne of Rise St. James who was featured in the PoP podcast, Season Three, Episode One, "Secret Sauce".
