Protesters seek court permission to march on Sunshine, I-10 bridges

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Environmentalists are seeking a court order allowing them to march on two southeast Louisiana bridges to protest pollution by petrochemical companies.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, they say state officials have refused them permission to march on an Interstate 10 bridge in Baton Rouge and on the Sunshine Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River at St. James Parish.

The state court lawsuit says the groups plan a five-day march, beginning Thursday. They want permission to be on the bridges Saturday or Sunday, when they would have the least effect on traffic.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and the heads of the state transportation department and state police are defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed in Baton Rouge. The governor's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.