Louisiana

Louisiana officials accused of inflating pollution monitor costs to kill idea aimed at industry

Published

1 year ago

December 11, 2024

Louisiana officials accused of inflating pollution monitor costs to kill idea aimed at industry

State environmental officials faced sharp questioning Tuesday for estimating that the total costs of requiring industry and other businesses to have “fence-line” air monitoring to detect pollution could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

State Rep. Alonzo Knox, a New Orleans Democrat, accused the agency of skewing the total figures upward by including smaller businesses such as bakeries, car washes and dry cleaners that he said aren’t significant enough polluters to need the monitors.

Knox, who grew up in the Baton Rouge community of Scotlandville near large polluting facilities, said including the smaller businesses in the cost estimate without any context would likely kill any future bills to require real-time, fence-line air monitors of major industries.

“Because here’s what happens in my world up here,” Knox said. “The way to kill a bill is to do a fiscal report with an exorbitant figure. That’s how we kill bills up here. And everything that you are presenting today is going in that direction.”

Knox is part of a legislative task force led by Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Aurelia Giacometto. The task force was directed by the Legislature to examine fence-line air monitoring and issue a report with recommendations by February.

During a task force hearing Tuesday at the State Capitol, Giacometto told Knox that the state’s estimates followed the directive of the Senate resolution that created the task force.

Sponsored by state Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, and co-sponsored by Knox, the resolution directed DEQ to examine the monitoring cost for the nearly 500 facilities with Title V air permits, which are considered “major” based on emission levels.

She explained that the department is trying to remain objective and said that asking it to make distinctions between bakeries and other facilities that have major air permits is “very subjective.”

“The point is the resolution asked for all the Title V facilities and so that is the deliverable that we brought forward,” she said.

Though Giacometto focused on hewing to the Senate resolution’s directives, DEQ did not deliver one of the resolution’s other requirements Tuesday — the cost to the state of health impacts from long-term exposure to air pollution.

June Sutherlin, a consulting toxicologist for DEQ, said agency officials contacted the state Department of Health and were told that type of estimate would require more financial resources. The health cost was left unanswered.

Estimates of nationwide public health and other societal costs from air pollution have been significant. An analysis published in 2016 studying one group of pollutants put the figure at $1 trillion for 2005 alone.

Environmental advocates have long called for fence-line monitoring of major chemical and industrial operations, but bills from Fields to require it have failed to garner traction. The oil and gas and chemical industries have opposed them, citing cost and a fear that real-time monitors could provide false reads and unduly alarm the public.

Such monitors would come in addition to the state’s nearly 40 community air monitors and specific equipment-related monitors some facilities must have.

Under federal rules, oil refineries also have fence-line monitoring for benzene, and 53 facilities in the state will have to monitor a group of carcinogens by June 2026, DEQ officials said. Those monitors report quarterly, however, not in real time.

DEQ officials say fence-line monitoring for facilities that require a major air pollution permit would affect 476 operations across the state.

Based on DEQ estimates, the monitors would cost nearly $800,000 to install at each site and $150,000 to $200,000 per site per year to operate, plus $5.2 million to create a real-time notification system for all the facilities’ monitors for the public and first responders.

Assuming each of the 476 facilities uses only one monitor — bigger operations could use several — DEQ estimates work out nearly to $380 million in combined installation costs, plus up to $95.2 million in annual operation and maintenance costs. DEQ officials said those costs would be borne by businesses.

An industry estimate from a few years ago, which counted 532 facilities and estimated all monitoring sites, put the figure at $500 million to $1.6 billion.

DEQ has also said it would need another 48 employees and $8.2 million annually to manage all the data the monitors would produce.

Giacometto cautioned against assuming that a causal connection exists between air pollution from certain businesses and health impacts, saying lifestyle, genetics and other non-pollution factors also play a role in cancer cases and other health problems in the state.

“A conclusion is being drawn that it is the industries and the emissions of certain industries or businesses that are leading to health conditions and, as was presented by Dr. Sutherlin, there are other factors that also lead to certain health conditions and cancer, and one of things that has not been discussed here are those,” she said.

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Louisiana

New Louisiana bill aims to protect workers who take time off for organ donation

Published

11 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

New Louisiana bill aims to protect workers who take time off for organ donation

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A new push at the Louisiana State Capitol is aiming to remove a major barrier to organ donation by protecting workers who choose to save a life.

Baton Rouge attorney Andrea Angee is co-leading the effort, drawing from a deeply personal experience that inspired her advocacy.

In 2020, Angee’s mother went into kidney failure. Determined to help, Angee made the decision to donate one of her own kidneys.

“It’s very difficult to articulate… I just wanted my mother to live,” Angee said.

The procedure and recovery kept her out of work for about four weeks. While Angee said she was fortunate to have an employer who supported her during that time, she says many others may not have that same security.

“Nobody should have to make a choice between saving a life or keeping a job, but that’s the reality that we face right now,” she said.

Angee is now advocating for Senate Bill 409, sponsored by Sen. Brach Myers, which would provide job protection along with paid and unpaid leave for people who choose to become living organ donors.

Supporters say the measure could help increase the number of donors by removing financial and employment risks that often discourage people from stepping forward.

According to advocates, about 2,000 people in Louisiana are currently waiting for a transplant.

Angee believes offering job security could encourage more people, especially those hoping to help loved ones, to consider donation.

“There are many people who are willing to consider living donation, especially if it’s a loved one… they want to step up and save their life,” she said. “But the reality is, they have to question whether they’ll have a job to come back to if they don’t have leave protection.”

She says no one should have to pay a price to save someone’s life, especially when so many are still waiting.

“The moment is now to do it,” Angee said.

You can read the entire bill here.

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Louisiana

Louisiana’s Old State Capitol to show the scribble of a signature that changed the world

Published

23 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana’s Old State Capitol to show the scribble of a signature that changed the world

napoleon 5 — The French Exchange copy of the Convention between the Republic of France and the United States signed by Napoleon finalizing the sale of the Louisiana Territory will be on display at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol beginning April 14. the document is on loan by the National Archives in Washington.

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PROVIDED PHOTO BY NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, DC

Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature was scribbled diagonally on the treaty as if it were an afterthought. Make no mistake, it was far from a haphazard gesture. Bonaparte needed the money, and Thomas Jefferson was willing to pay.

When the First Consul of the Republic of France scribbled “Bonaparte” on that document finalizing the sale of France’s Louisiana Territory to the United States, the world changed.

History calls this moment the Louisiana Purchase. For the U.S., it meant doubling in size. For the world, it meant the eventual emergence of a new superpower.

napoleon 4 — The French Exchange copy of the Convention between the Republic of France and the United States signed by Napoleon finalizing the sale of the Louisiana Territory will be on display at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol beginning April 14. the document is on loan by the National Archives in Washington.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, DC

Amazing to think how a simple, last-name-only signature could hold so much power. It still wields a certain power today, enough to make people put away their phones just to see it.

Which will happen on April 14, when Louisiana’s Old State Capitol opens the exhibit, “Bought for a Song: A Young Nation Expands.” The exhibit’s only artifact will be the French exchange copy of the convention between the Republic of France — the document bearing Bonaparte’s signature that finalized the Louisiana Purchase.

The show runs through July 11, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary celebration year. Though admission is free, visitors are asked to sign up for a viewing time for the opening week through the museum’s website, louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

A National Archives loan

The document is on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. Officials will transport and set it up days before the show’s opening in Baton Rouge.

napoleon 3 — Advertisement

Laurent Dabos’ circa 1803-1804 portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul of France.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY ENGLISH HERITAGE, THE WELLINGTON COLLECTION, APSLEY HOUSE

“This exhibit will display that original document, its cover page and a copy of the signature page,” museum curator Anne Mahoney said. “It also has small educational displays about the role of the Mississippi River in the transaction and who was involved. The exhibit will also be presented in both English and French.”

And though all of these original documents will be in the case, required precautions are being taken.

“Since this is such a historically significant document, and it pertains to treaties for the United States of America, it has special protections in terms of lighting, temperature and humidity,” Mahoney said. “Since light damage is cumulative and irreversible, we’ll keep the treaty closed so that the writing does not become faded by any contact with light. And then we’ll have an excerpt from it on display next to it that’s a reproduction.”

The exhibit, like Bonaparte’s signature, is small, consisting of the agreement displayed beneath thick glass in one of the Old Capitol’s octagonal rooms. Security guards will be stationed inside the room, and visitors will not be allowed to take photos.

napoleon 6 — The French Exchange copy of the Convention between the Republic of France and the United States signed by Napoleon finalizing the sale of the Louisiana Territory will be on display at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol beginning April 14. the document is on loan by the National Archives in Washington.
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PROVIDED PHOTO BY NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, DC

“Visitors can’t take their phones out when they enter the room,” Mahoney said. “We don’t want any accidental flashes. We have high security and high environmental controls, so you won’t be able to take pictures. But we do have a little handout you can take as a souvenir.”

Irony in Baton Rouge

The irony in this situation is that Baton Rouge was a part of Spanish West Florida when the Louisiana Territory was sold to the U.S.

“There was a neutral strip that wasn’t technically a part of the purchase,” Mahoney said. “That didn’t happen until after Philemon Thomas and the West Florida revolt.”

Thomas is buried in the Baton Rouge National Cemetery on 19th Street. He was a revolutionary war general who led the revolt that eventually annexed Baton Rouge into the U.S. in 1810, seven years after the flag of Spain was lowered at the Cabildo to make way for the French flag, which was immediately lowered and replaced by the American flag.

France ceded the Louisiana territory to Spain in 1762 to prevent the British from taking it during the Seven Years’ War. Spain agreed to return it to France when the time came.

napoleon 7 — Thure de Thulstrup’s 1903 painting, ‘Hoisting American Colors, Louisiana Cession, 1803,’ hangs in the Louisiana State Museum, Cabildo in New Orleans.
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PROVIDED PHOTO BY LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM

And that time came when Bonaparte decided to unload the territory to fund his imminent war with Great Britain. The Louisiana Purchase happened in three parts, beginning with the Treaty of Cession, followed by the two conventions defining the financial aspects of the sale.

Bonaparte signed the final bill of sale on April 30, 1803. The flag ceremony followed on Dec. 20, 1803.

What did the country gain?

The U.S. gained approximately 828,000 square miles of land for $15 million from that diagonal scribble of a signature. That’s roughly 4 cents per acre, which accounts for the sale’s historical description as “bought for a song,” along with the exhibit’s title.

The price of a song bought a chunk of real estate that stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. It also secured control of the port of New Orleans, which reshaped trade, migration, culture and political power across the continent.

“This will actually be the second time this document has come to the Old State Capitol,” Mahoney said. “The first time was at our inaugural opening in 1994.”

napoleon 2 — Jacques-Louis David’s 1801 painting, “Napoleon Crossing the Alps.” This version hangs in Versailles. David painted five versions of this painting, one of which hangs in the Cabildo in New Orleans.
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Secretary of State Nancy Landry says she’s proud to partner with the National Archives for this exhibit.

“With the stroke of a pen, this agreement more than doubled the size of our nation and stands as one of the most significant real estate transactions in American history,” Landry said. “We invite everyone to join us as we welcome this remarkable piece of history back to the land it helped create.”

“Bought for a Song: A Young Nation Expands” will show April 14-July 11 at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd., Baton Rouge. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. To accommodate anticipated demand during the exhibition’s opening week, April 14-18, the museum will operate on timed entry slots of 10 a.m. to noon, noon to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For tickets, visit louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

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Louisiana

Democratic strategist switches to No Party for Louisiana Senate primary

Published

1 day ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Democratic strategist switches to No Party for Louisiana Senate primary

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana’s return to closed-party primaries is prompting some voters to change their registration ahead of the state’s high-profile U.S. Senate race.

Cheron Brylski, a longtime Democratic political strategist and consultant, said she changed her registration from Democrat to No Party so she could choose which primary to vote in on May 16.

“I felt that this whole exercise is meant to disenfranchise urban voters who are largely Democrats,” Brylski told FOX 8.

Louisiana voters will cast ballots May 16 in closed-party primaries for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Under the system approved by lawmakers in 2024 for the 2026 elections, registered Democrats can vote only in Democratic primaries and registered Republicans can vote only in Republican primaries.

Voters registered as No Party can choose either the Democratic or Republican ballot at the polls.

“So, when you get ready to vote in the May election, when you go to the polls, you will be given a form asking if you’re, if you’re “No Party”, asking if you want to vote in the Republican or the Democratic closed primary or not vote in any of them. And so, you have that choice. And so, you will select them. You will go into the voting booth and vote on that ballot,” said Trey Williams, Deputy Secretary of State for Communications and Policy.

If a runoff is needed in June, No Party voters must stick with the same party primary they selected in May. In the November general election, they can vote for any candidate on the ballot.

“When the runoff occurs in June, you would still need to vote in that party primary that you selected. Then when we get to the general election in November you can vote for anybody you would like, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green party, whoever is on the ballot there.” Williams said.

Brylski her decision was about making sure her voice is really heard during the primary election.

“I wanted to have a say in who I could choose between in November, whether it was the Republican or the Democrat, that the only way to vote against the MAGA-endorsed candidate was to change to No Party. And that way, by participating in the primaries, the Republican primary, as a no party voter, then I could vote basically against the MAGA-endorsed candidate,” she said.

Still, she said the move was difficult.

“And it was a very hard decision for me to make. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat. I still consider myself a Democrat. But I do think this whole process is disenfranchising voters. It’s limiting actually, I think it’s a move to destroy the Democratic Party in Louisiana, because it’s taken our votes completely out of who will be on that November ballot,” Brylski said.

Democratic strategist and longtime Democrat Cheron Brylski switched to “No Party” for the upcoming closed-party primary to have more say on which Republican ends up in the general election.(WVUE)

Williams said voters who want to change their registration in person or by mail have until April 15. Those making the change online through GeauxVote have until April 25.

The Secretary of State’s Office said it is already seeing movement in voter registration.

“Well, we’ve actually seen a trend over the past year. So, we have seen the number of no party voters in the state increase by about 8,200 voters. We’ve also seen the Republican, numbers increase as well by about 6,500, uh, voters,” Williams said.

Some political observers think the state returned to the closed party system to hurt Sen. Bill Cassidy’s re-election bid after he voted to convict President Donald Trump during one of his impeachment trials.

“I definitely think that the purpose was to empower MAGA-endorsed candidates, and he has not,” Brylski said.

There are three Democrats running for the Senate seat.

“And so Democratic voters in the primary won’t be able to say they support [Sen. Bill] Cassidy if they like him. They’ll just choose between three candidates or they will choose between Democratic candidates who haven’t even gotten support from the National Democratic Party.

Brylski said she plans to switch back.

“I will be voting as a Democrat in November, but not right now. I’ll be voting as a No-Party person in the Republican primaries,” Brylski said.

Williams said voters can change their party registration whenever they choose, as long as they meet the deadline before an election.

Third-party voters, such as Libertarians and Greens, cannot vote in either party’s May primary, though they can still vote on other items on the ballot and in the fall general election.

“If you register Green Party you cannot participate. So yes, so if you were in a third-party, like Libertarian Party, Green Party then you cannot participate in the Republican or Democratic closed-primaries, but there are other items on the ballot that you can participate in,” Williams said.

Early voting for the May 16th primary is May 2-May 9.

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