EPA investigation finds Missouri out of compliance with federal civil rights rules
Federal officials are investigating whether Missouri environmental regulators violated the civil rights of St. Louis residents by issuing an air pollution control permit to a fuel transport business located near predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Already, investigators with the Environmental Protection Agency have found the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is out of compliance with regulations requiring agencies receiving money from the EPA to set up nondiscrimination programs, according to the federal agency’s preliminary findings obtained by The Independent.
“Further…it appears that MoDNR ignored concerns raised over the years about its failure to have in place a nondiscrimination program consistent with its long standing legal obligations,” the EPA finding says.
At issue is a permit DNR granted to Kinder Morgan Transmix to operate a facility that separates fuel products back into usable gasoline and other products after shipping. It sits along the Mississippi River near several predominantly Black South St. Louis neighborhoods.
Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/2021/04/29/epa-investigation-finds-missouri-out-of-compliance-with-federal-civil-rights-rules/
