Ben Freeman is the director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy (CIP). This is his second TomDispatch piece.
That stretch of roughly 85 miles, widely known as "Cancer Alley," is home to dozens of refineries and chemical plants and to many predominantly Black communities.
The Agency claimed that "California’s standards could impose costs on ports, shipping and supply chains," but Environmental groups and California regulators dispute that interpretation.
The figure, delivered under questioning at a hearing repeatedly interrupted by protesters, marked an increase from the last official estimate and drew immediate criticism from Democrats on the committee.