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Category
Environment

Red flags at the levee board

It seems that the governor-appointed board chair was overly involved in day-to-day operations. Because of the Flood Authority’s crucial purpose, the public cannot afford to have it run by a board chair who acts recklessly.
by Sandy Rosenthal August 1, 2025 Updated August 1, 2025

Louisiana’s ban on community air monitoring is an attack on science and free speech

Last year, Louisiana legislators passed a “million-dollar muzzle,” which barred the use of community-gathered air-quality data to advocate for pollution control and enforcement, with fines as high as $1 million per violation.
by Michael Heimbinder July 23, 2025 Updated July 26, 2025

Air pollution questions linger over Alabo Street Wharf

Sunrise Foods released air-quality assessments scant in detail. But early last month, LDEQ accelerated the company’s approval for its air-permit application.
by Delaney Dryfoos July 2, 2025 Updated August 12, 2025

Louisiana’s new bill would codify gas as “green energy”

A bill on its way to the Governor’s desk—with connections to gas industry allies—could enshrine hydrocarbons as Louisiana’s future.
by Emily Sanders, ExxonKnews, and Delaney Dryfoos, The Lens June 18, 2025 Updated June 24, 2025

Maintaining independence in levee-board appointments

As legislators debate changes to levee boards, it’s worth remembering why the levee boards were reformed, what remains undone - AND that all evidence shows that the pre-Katrina Orleans Levee Board was not at fault.
by Sandy Rosenthal and H.J. Bosworth, Jr. June 14, 2025 Updated June 14, 2025

Will Ascension Parish become Ammonia Parish?

Three new proposed chemical plants could more than quadruple ammonia production in the Donaldsonville area, leaving Ascension residents to face more toxic air pollution and possible chemical disasters, according to a new report from Rural Roots and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.
by Delaney Dryfoos June 13, 2025 Updated June 13, 2025

Air pollution messes up pregnant women’s metabolism, spurs preterm births

Tiny air pollutants appear to cause molecular changes in expectant mothers' blood that can impact fetal development and cause stress in the mother, which could be behind early labor and health problems for babies.
by Brian Bienkowski, The New Lede June 11, 2025 Updated June 11, 2025

Louisiana can’t afford a mirage

“We must stick with real plans for our future,” the writer contends about the recent halt to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. “Every delay means more land lost, more families unprotected, more risk from rising seas and stronger storms. We don’t have that kind of time.”
by Simone Maloz June 10, 2025 Updated June 11, 2025

Nothing is ever black and white on a plantation

The recent fire at Nottoway Plantation, which reduced the “big house” to ashes, serves as a stark reminder of the complexities we navigate to uncover the truth of our history. 
by Jo Banner June 3, 2025 Updated June 3, 2025

Tracking the sediment carried by the muddy Mississippi

New research shows that typically, less than 10% of land-building alluvium reaches the Bird’s Foot Delta region, the southernmost reach of the river, where it meets the Gulf.
by Delaney Dryfoos May 27, 2025 Updated May 27, 2025

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The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region. Staunchly defending the public's right to know and deeply committed to sharing our knowledge with the community at large. We center human impact in all our work.
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