Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) is a nonprofit organization working to foster cooperation and communication between citizens and government organizations to assess and mend environmental problems in Louisiana. Founded in 1986 in Baton Rouge, LEAN was created by a collective of citizens—mothers, plant workers, lawyers, doctors, and other community members—who came together to confront air pollution that authorities had failed to address. LEAN serves communities—often low-income and minority—that face disproportionate exposure to industrial pollution, unsafe water, and other environmental hazards, particularly in regions like “Cancer Alley,” an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River heavily burdened by industrial facilities. Through education, advocacy, technical assistance, and disaster relief, LEAN helps residents monitor air and water quality, engage in policymaking, and respond to environmental crises. By equipping communities with tools and knowledge, LEAN works to protect public health and promote environmental justice across Louisiana.
Aerial view of the Marathon oil refinery in Garyville, Louisiana, along Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” Photo: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (public domain)
With seven staff members, 106 member groups, and more than 1,700 individual members across the state, LEAN has spearheaded environmental justice efforts in Louisiana for over 35 years. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, LEAN supported grassroots organizing by South Louisiana Against Pollution, whose petitions, hearings, and federal lawsuit—backed by LEAN—ultimately shut down the Marine Shale Processors hazardous waste facility in Amelia, LA. From 2006 to 2008, LEAN’s advocacy contributed to reforms in Louisiana’s water permitting practices, improvements in discharge permits, and stronger responses to contamination after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2023, with a $500,000 grant from the EPA, LEAN launched a fleet of mobile air-monitoring vehicles that collected hyperlocal air-quality data along Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” With funding from the National Academies of Sciences, LEAN’s People, Place & Power project is now developing free, adaptable educational modules to train Louisiana’s next generation of environmental justice advocates.
LEAN members pose for a photo during their 2024 Summer Educators’ Workshop. Photo: Louisiana Environmental Action Network