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NEW ORLEANS, L.A.  – Today , Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) was pleased to announce Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) latest allocation of disaster relief funding for Louisiana of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. This comes as a part of the $1.447 billion in CDBG-DR that HUD allocated nationally to help communities recovering from these disasters and to build inclusive resilience to climate change.

These funds will be allocated to state and local governments that previously received only partial CDBG-DR allocations for 2021 and 2022 disasters, including Hurricane Ida. Louisiana’s Second Congressional District – which Congressman Troy Carter proudly represents – will receive around $834.5 million in CDBG-DR funding.

“The road to recovery after a natural disaster can be long and winding for impacted communities struggling to rebuild their lives,” said Congressman Carter. “The federal government should never make a tough situation worse. We must always step up to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of these disaster survivors, not only building back what was lost, but thoughtfully strengthening communities to weather future storms. I have been a vocal advocate for additional disaster aid after last year’s terrible storm, and I’m proud to have helped bring these funds home. The allocation of these millions of dollars in disaster relief grants will help power Louisiana, and its people, toward full recovery from Hurricane Ida.”

HUD is allocating the $1.447 billion to 10 local governments and 13 state governments that previously received partial CDBG-DR allocations for 2021 disasters.

The allocations in Louisiana are as follows:

• The State of Louisiana is receiving: $831,502,000

• Lake Charles is receiving: $7,042,000

• Baton Rouge is receiving: $3,038,000

With the additional funds allocated today, HUD has now allocated a total of $3.66 billion to these 23 communities to recover from 2021 disasters, prepare for future disasters, and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.  

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NEW ORLEANS – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02) celebrated the designation of a zone for offshore wind production in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from Louisiana. As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced it has finalized two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico, with the potential to produce enough clean wind energy to power nearly 3 million homes. One of the WEAs is located approximately 56 nm off the coast of Lake Charles, LA. The area totals 174,275 acres and has the potential to power over 740,000 homes. 

In response to this news, Congressman Troy Carter released the following statement:

“Today’s announcement represents an important step forward for our country’s efforts to transition to clean, reliable energy. Offshore wind is a key component to achieving our nation’s clean energy goals to lower costs and cut pollution, while creating good jobs for Americans.

“As we launch major offshore wind projects to power millions of American homes and businesses, we should institute appropriate financial systems to keep investment in local communities providing the infrastructure for the energy production.

“I introduced the bipartisan BREEZE Act with Congressman Steve Scalise to ensure that revenue from offshore wind projects will come back to states and important projects like coastal restoration that are currently paid for by offshore oil and gas drilling.”

The next steps in BOEM’s renewable energy competitive leasing process include issuing a Proposed Sale Notice with a 60-day public comment period later this year or early next year. 

Under President Biden’s leadership and during Congressman Carter’s time in Congress, the federal government has approved the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind projects, held record-breaking lease sales, and ushered in billions of dollars in private investment. This growing industry will provide Americans with cleaner and cheaper energy, create thousands of good-paying jobs, and invest billions in new American energy supply chains, manufacturing, shipbuilding and servicing.

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RESERVE, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. released a statement responding to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommendation to close Fifth Ward Elementary School due to toxic exposure. The findings follow a 56-page letter outlining environmental injustice against Black community members in Louisiana’s Industrial Corridor.

“A society can be judged on how it treats its children and the most vulnerable members of its community.

“The high level of toxic exposure from the nearby Denka Plant on a primarily African AmericanElementary School is a classic case of environmental injustice.

“We cannot accept the reality that people in our community – especially our beloved children – are being exposed to dangerous toxins.

“Your zip code should never define your destiny, and certainly not your health.

“While our state’s Industrial Corridor’s economy largely centers around petrochemical plants, we cannot put industry above the health of the people.

“I came to Congress with a promise that I would engage, listen to, and fight for the people of the River Parishes. I intend to keep that promise.

“I will be following up and working closely with the EPA, Louisiana DEQ, and local leaders, activists, and residents on this issue. The safety and well-being of our community and our community’s children must be a top priority.”

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NEW ORLEANS, L.A.  – Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. is celebrating today’s announcement from the United States Department of Energy that the recently-passed Infrastructure Law is allocating $2.8 billion to 20 manufacturing and processing companies projects across 12 states to bolster America’s battery supply chain. $319.8 million will be heading to two projects in Louisiana, including $100 million to the St. Gabriel LiPF6 Manufacturing Plant located in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. A fact sheet on the funding for the St. Gabriel plant, which will be the first U.S. manufacturing plant for lithium hexaflurophosphate (LiPF6) in the nation, is here. Electrolytes allow lithium ions to flow through a lithium-ion battery used in electric vehicles (EVs), and LiPF6 is the primary salt used in the electrolytes. The second grant in Louisiana is for a $219,820,610 investment in the expansion of Syrah’s Commercial-Scale Natural Graphite Active Anode Material Facility in Vidalia (page 21).

Congressman Carter and the Biden-Harris Administration are focused on tackling climate change and have launched an ambitious goal to help cut carbon emissions by making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 electric. These goals are launching historic investments in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, which is expected to increase demand for the materials and minerals using in the battery supply chain. Today’s announcements demonstrate how the United States is poised to meet this challenge while growing our economy and creating high-quality union jobs in the battery supply chain.

“We know there is a path to a cleaner, greener, safer future for our nation, we just have to be bold enough and strategic enough to bring it into reality,” said Congressman Carter. “Electric vehicles and the advanced batteries that power them are vital to the clean energy economy, and the investments announced today will help power our domestic manufacturing and battery supply chain into the future. As we expand these manufacturing initiatives we must simultaneously protect the health and well-being of the people who live in close proximity to these plants. Environmental justice cannot be put on the backburner.”

The first set of projects funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for EVs and the electrical grid including $2.8 billion for 20 manufacturing and processing companies in 12 states, including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington.

When matched by recipients, the funding leverages a total of more than $9 billion to boost American production of EV batteries. The projects will have positive impact on their own and will catalyze a whole U.S. industry in the critical phases of the battery supply chain.

The funding for the selected projects will support:

• Developing enough battery-grade lithium to supply approximately 2 million EVs annually.

• Developing enough battery-grade graphite to supply approximately 1.2 million EVs annually.

• Producing enough battery-grade nickel to supply approximately 400,000 EVs annually.

• Installing the nation’s first large-scale, commercial lithium electrolyte salt (LiPF6) production facility.

• Developing an electrode binder facility capable of supplying 45% of the anticipated domestic demand for binders for EV batteries in 2030.

• Creating the first commercial scale domestic silicon oxide production facilities to supply anode materials for an estimated 600,000 EV batteries annually.

• Installing the first lithium iron phosphate cathode facility in the United States.

• All projects will develop enough lithium to supply over 2 million EVs annually and establish significant domestic production of graphite and nickel.

President Biden is also announcing the American Battery Materials Initiative, a new effort to mobilize the entire government in securing a reliable and sustainable supply of critical minerals used for power, electricity, and EVs. Together, these actions will improve America’s energy independence, strengthen national security, support good-paying jobs across battery supply chains, and lower costs for working families. 

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NEW ORLEANS, L.A.  – Last week, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. led thirty other members of Congress on a letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calling for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make soy milk available in schools. It also requests that the Equity Commission at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) reassess the milk program and provide a new Civil Rights Impact Analysis (CRIA).

In 2020, USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans annual report recognized soy milk as being nutritionally equivalent to dairy milk, opening the door to expand access to cow’s milk alternatives in schools. This is especially important because high rates of minority children, particularly Black, Latino, Native American, and Asian-American, are lactose intolerant. It is estimated that 65 percent of Latino students, 75 percent of Black students, and 90 percent of Asian students unable to digest dairy milk without detrimental effect.

“America needs to embrace its diversity at the school lunch counter,” writes Congressman Carter and his fellow signatories. “This is especially important because large numbers of minority children are lactose intolerant and experience adverse health effects simply because, in practice, dairy is the only type of milk offered in schools. We’d like to work together to ensure the health and nutritional needs of all our nation’s school children. We also believe an awareness campaign about lactose intolerance and maldigesting is essential, so that kids can more readily make food choices that will improve their health, wellness, and school performance.”

Current law states schools can only be reimbursed for school lunches by the milk rate – requiring that a carton of milk is included on each lunch tray. Because of this, there is a “milk note” requirement that students must produce a doctor’s note if they choose not to accept traditional milk with their lunch. Since the rates of lactose intolerance in BIPOC communities are startlingly high, the letter raises the issue that this requirement causes equity concerns, as it places an unfair burden onto minority children and their families.

The letter continues to highlight that the “milk note” approach not only doesn’t benefit the students, but it also fills lunchroom garbage bins with unopened containers of milk. A USDA report in 2019 calculated the value of unopened, discarded milk at $300 million annually – this is money that would be better spent providing nutritious sustenance to our kids.

“The reality is, millions of kids across America’s schools are given milk on their lunch trays that will make them feel sick, or that will immediately be discarded” said Congressman Troy Carter. “It’s time that our school lunches reflect the reality that many of our children, including the majority of Black, Asian, and Hispanic kids, are lactose intolerant. By providing a nutritionally-equivalent substitute such as soy milk, we can help keep our kids healthier, full, and decrease food waste. I look forward to working with Secretary Vilsack and the USDA to help bring equity to our nation’s lunch counters.”

Along with Congressman Troy Carter (La.), the letter was also signed by: Ted W. Lieu (Calif.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (Calif.), Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), Bennie G. Thompson (Miss.), Peter A. DeFazio (Ore.). Ro Khanna (Calif.), André Carson (Ind.), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Nikema Williams (Ga.), Marc A. Veasey (Texas), J. Luis Correa (Calif.), Seth Moulton (Mass.), Katie Porter (Calif.), James P. McGovern (Mass.), Debbie Dingell (Mich.), Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Tony Cárdenas (Calif.), Judy Chu (Calif.), Mondaire Jones (Ny.), Susan Wild (Pa.), Andy Levin (Mich.), Ed Case (Hawaii), Michael F. Q. San Nicolas (Guam), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (N.J.), Marie Newman (Ill.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (Texas), and Bobby L. Rush (Ill.).

Several advocacy organizations have also endorsed the effort to offer soy milk alternatives in school lunches or have written to the USDA Racial Equity Commission, including The Center for a Humane Economy, Animal Wellness Action, Switch4Good, National Urban League, and the National Action Network.

“The stated purpose of the National School Lunch Program is to serve kids with foods to promote health and aid learning,” said Wayne Pacelle, President of The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action. “But the USDA has been using the program as a marketing and profit-making opportunity for the dairy industry and denying choice to kids to consume nutritious beverages that don’t make them sick. Rep. Carter deserves plaudits for initiating a campaign see food-assistance programs help kids, not hurt them.”

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