The U.S. Department of Justice is suing a major petrochemical company, arguing that its chemical plant in Reserve, Louisiana, poses an unacceptable risk to the health and welfare of the area’s majority-Black population. The EPA has repeatedly found chloroprene levels near the facility that exceed the maximum concentration recommended for human exposure. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is making $550 million available to fund community projects that reduce pollution in overburdened communities. The agency will select 11 nonprofits to administer the grants over a three-year period starting no later than early 2024, either by themselves or in partnership with other nonprofits, tribal governments, or universities.