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Environment

Grassroots air monitoring helps people track pollution in their own backyards. Those efforts are under threat in Louisiana.

As the state limits sharing of independent data, the Trump administration is delaying new testing requirements for dozens of chemical plants around the Mississippi River Basin.
by Illan Ireland, Mississippi Free Press January 23, 2026 Updated January 23, 2026

When the power goes out, churches offer shelter through the Community Lighthouse network

New Orleans churches and community centers are being outfitted with backup and solar power to create a microgrid for residents during the city’s frequent outages. But that’s not the only value they offer.
by Delaney Dryfoos January 21, 2026 Updated January 23, 2026

After losing a climate case in a Louisiana courtroom, Chevron wants a change of venue

Lawyers for the oil giant argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that the matter belongs in federal court. But the heavily Republican state responded that a $744.6 million jury award in state court should stand.
by Lee Hedgepeth, Inside Climate News January 16, 2026 Updated January 18, 2026
smoke coming out of factory pipes

EPA blind spots leave workers unprotected from ethylene oxide’s cancer risks

Frequent contact with the carcinogen ethylene oxide can boost the odds of developing cancer up to 60 times — risk levels that should raise red flags in Louisiana, which produces 20% of the nation’s ethylene oxide emissions within its 85-mile industrial corridor, known as Cancer Alley.
by Jordan Cade January 15, 2026 Updated January 13, 2026

Records reveal federal criminal search warrant served at Smitty’s Supply

Agents with the FBI and the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division conducted a search of the facility in November.
by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator January 13, 2026 Updated February 1, 2026

Buyouts for a petrochemical complex threaten to erase Modeste

Lawsuit targets rezoning of land for industry, which would displace hundreds in Modeste, a predominantly Black community in Ascension Parish.
by Delaney Nolan January 12, 2026 Updated January 18, 2026

Louisiana town fights for relief after billion-dollar oil disaster

Federal and state officials have sued the company behind the blast, but Roseland, Louisiana, residents say the case won’t bring relief to their town.
by Adam Mahoney, Capital B January 6, 2026 Updated January 7, 2026

Environmentalists sue Louisiana officials over reissued Commonwealth LNG permit

The environmental groups say that the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy “violated its constitutional, statutory and regulatory duties” with its hasty reissue of a construction permit.
by Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator January 2, 2026 Updated January 2, 2026

Preparing for a wildfire or hurricane? Don’t forget water, documents — and your birth control.

Few states include sexual and reproductive health supplies in emergency checklist recommendations, a new report finds.
by Jessica Kutz, The 19th December 26, 2025 Updated December 26, 2025

State rejects Smitty’s Supply request to dispose of wastewater, storm runoff in drainage

Tests of the collected runoff show it was still too contaminated to be released.
by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator December 24, 2025 Updated December 24, 2025

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The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region.

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Who is ICE arresting in Louisiana, and where? We broke it down.Who is ICE arresting in Louisiana, and where? We broke it down.August 30, 2026Delaney NolanCriminal Justice

The Lens
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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