Louisiana Environmental Groups Sue State Over Law Restricting Community Air-Monitoring Data

Several Louisiana environmental organizations filed suit in federal court on Thursday, arguing that a 2024 state law stifles free speech and hampers public-health warnings in communities that border major industrial sites, The AP reports.

The challenge targets the Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act (CAMRA), which requires nonprofit groups that publish air-quality data “for the purpose of alleging violations” of federal standards to use monitoring equipment approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Such instruments can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Organizations that disseminate findings derived from unapproved devices face civil penalties of up to $32,500 per day and a maximum of $1 million for intentional violations.

Plaintiffs include Micah 6:8 Mission, a Sulphur-based nonprofit that has conducted community air monitoring since 2019, along with Rise St. James, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Healthy Gulf, and the Environmental Integrity Project. They contend CAMRA effectively silences residents who rely on lower-cost sensors to alert neighbors when pollution spikes.

“We’ve gone from flying a red flag on bad-air days to saying nothing, because one misstep could bankrupt us,” said Cynthia Robertson, Micah 6:8 Mission’s executive director.

Louisiana passed CAMRA last May after the EPA awarded grants to grassroots groups nationwide to track pollutants—particularly hazardous chemicals such as chloroprene and ethylene oxide, which are not always covered by routine public monitoring. Supporters of the law, including state regulators and some lawmakers, say the measure ensures that data shared with the public are accurate and comparable to official readings.

Attorney General Liz Murrill defended the statute in a statement Thursday, questioning “how regulating community air-monitoring programs violates constitutional rights.” The law does not apply to industry-run monitors, a distinction the lawsuit calls discriminatory.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, argues that CAMRA imposes “onerous restrictions” on community groups and violates the First Amendment by “presumptively deeming their speech inaccurate.” David Bookbinder, counsel for the Environmental Integrity Project, said lower-cost sensors are “sufficient to tell residents whether the air is safe to breathe” and should not trigger punitive fines.

Although no organization has yet been penalized under CAMRA, the plaintiffs allege the statute has chilled routine sharing of pollution data on social media and at community meetings. Micah 6:8 Mission suspended online postings shortly after the law took effect.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. The lawsuit asks the court to block enforcement of CAMRA, declare it unconstitutional, and award attorneys’ fees.