Two environmental groups in Ascension Parish are suing the parish council for violating Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law.
The Ascension Parish Council voted to pass a series of zoning decisions related to the expansion of CF Industries, an ammonia plant. The plaintiffs, Rural Roots Louisiana and Louisiana Bucket Brigade, allege that those votes are invalid because they weren’t given “viva voce”, meaning they weren’t voiced out loud during the meetings.
“ Ascension Parish already, by many records, has some of the most polluted air in the United States,” said the plaintiffs’ lawyer, William Most. “Rather than trying to mitigate that, the Ascension Parish Council has been allowing for further expansion of industrial facilities that would worsen air quality. They need to comply with the law and hold themselves accountable to voters by making their votes on this public and open.”
“Viva voce” was recently invoked by Attorney General Liz Murill to investigate Caddo Parish for a resolution welcoming U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to Shreveport.
The Ascension Parish Council did not respond to requests for comment.
