BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana Illuminator) – Some environmental groups opposed to government tax breaks for pollution-heavy industrial projects in Louisiana complain they’re having to file lawsuits for parish economic records just to find out if such projects exist.
Rural Roots Louisiana and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, which advocate for environmental justice causes, filed a pair of lawsuits Wednesday against Ascension Parish government and the Ascension Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit organization that is funded primarily with parish tax dollars.
The lawsuits, filed in the 23rd Judicial District Court in Ascension Parish, allege violations of Louisiana laws on open meetings and public records and raise a number of questions about the depth of secrecy shrouding negotiations between local governments and businesses vying for public dollars or special incentives…