"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday opened an investigation into Mississippi state agencies to determine if they violated civil rights in the majority Black city of Jackson in the course of funding of the city's water infrastructure.
At the request of civil rights organizations, the EPA said it agreed to investigate Mississippi's Department of Health and Department of Environmental Quality to determine if they had 'discriminated against the majority Black population of Jackson, Mississippi, on the basis of race, by intent or effect, in its funding of water infrastructure and treatment programs.'
Representatives of those two departments and the office of Governor Tate Reeves did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Jackson, the state capital of 150,000 people that is more than 80% Black, has suffered from chronically poor water quality, and lost water to most of the city for several days in August when complications from floodwaters knocked a water treatment plant offline."
Daniel Trotta reports for Reuters October 20, 2022.
SEE ALSO:
"EPA Civil Rights Case Targets Mississippi Over Jackson Water" (AP)
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