Rise St. James v. Burdette

In 2024, Louisiana enacted the Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act (CAMRA). CAMRA imposes various restrictions community groups that monitor the air for pollution, typically using low-cost air sensors that do not employ methods approved by the EPA for monitors used for regulatory purposes. Under CAMRA, a community group would be subject to civil penalties if it collected, used, or disseminated air monitoring information in violation of CAMRA’s requirements.

In May 2025, representing RISE St. James, Claiborne Avenue Alliance Design Studio, The Concerned Citizens of St. John, The Descendants Project, Micah 6:8 Mission, and JOIN for Clean Air, Public Citizen Litigation Group and Environmental Integrity Project filed a lawsuit challenging CAMRA’s restrictions. The complaint alleges that CAMRA’s restrictions violate the community groups’ rights to free speech and to petition for redress of grievances and that those restrictions conflict with the Clean Air Act and federal programs designed to encourage wider use of air sensors. The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent enforcement of CAMRA.