'Cancer alley' residents moving forward after EPA closes civil rights investigation

05:31

July 05, 2023

Industrial pollution on this ribbon of land between New Orleans and Baton Rouge puts the mostly African-American residents at nearly 50 times the risk of developing cancer than the national average, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (Emily Kask/AFP via Getty Images)

In southeast Louisiana, Black residents living near an industrial corridor known as "Cancer Alley" are determined to not give up the fight to protect their health against corporate interests. They're still processing last week's big setback: the Environmental Protection Agency closed its civil rights investigation into allegations that a state agency was permitting chemical plants to be built in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Here & Now's Scott Tong has more on the story with Lylla Younes, a senior staff writer with our editorial partner, Grist.

This segment aired on July 5, 2023.

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