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US Congress investigating Mississippi capital’s water crisis | Politics News


The US Congress is investigating a crisis leaving 150,000 people in the Mississippi capital without running water for days in late August and early September, according to a letter sent to Governor Tate Reeves by two Democratic lawmakers.

Representatives Bennie Thompson and Carolyn Maloney on Monday requested information on how Mississippi plans to spend $10 billion from the U.S. Rescue Plan Act and from Bipartisan Infrastructure Lawand $429 million “is specifically allocated to strengthen the state’s water infrastructure.”

The letter points to the “beginning of a joint investigation” by the House Department of Homeland Security and the Oversight and Reform committees into the crisis that has deprived 150,000 Jackson residents of potable water over the past few days. days in late August and early September, Adam Comis, an employee of the Homeland Security Commission, told The Associated Press.

Thompson County includes most of Jackson, and he chairs the Homeland Security Committee. Maloney, of New York, chair of the Oversight and Reform Commission.

Jackson has had water problems for years, and the latest troubles began in late August after heavy rain Problems are exacerbated at the city’s main treatment plant, leaving many residents without running water.

The city has had a notice of boiling water since the end of July because the state health department found that the water was cloudy, which could make people sick.

Drinking water was restored within a few days and the notice of boiling water was lifted in mid-September, but the letter to Reeves said “the waterworks infrastructure in the city remains uncertain. The illness and risk to the residents of Jackson remains.”

The pair of congressional Democrats requested an analysis of where the state is sending money from the American Rescue Plan Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, including the “racial demographics and population sizes of each community.” dong” received aid.

They also asked for information about whether Jackson faced “heavy obstacles” to receiving more federal funds. The letter asks Reeves to provide the requested information by October 31.

Mississippi has yet to announce how the United States Rescue Plan Act money will be spent on water projects. Cities and counties have a September 30 deadline to apply for funding.

According to the letter, Supervisory Commission staff members learned during a meeting with Jackson officials that the state had attempted to limit funding to Jackson for its water system. The state allegedly planned to “ban communities of more than 4,000 people from competing for additional funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act,” the letter read.

In their letter, Thompson and Maloney also cited an AP report that Reeves had a hand in delaying the Jackson water system repair fund and claimed to have frozen the money. Reeves’ office did not immediately respond to the news agency’s request for comment on the letter.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice in January that Jackson’s water system violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. In September, federal lawyers threatened legal action against the city if it did not agree to negotiations regarding the city’s water system.

Jackson Chokwe Mayor Antar Lumumba said the city is working with the federal government on a plan to fix the water system.

The failure of city and state officials to provide Jacksonians with a reliable water system reflects decades of government dysfunction, population change, and deteriorating infrastructure. It has also fueled a political battle between Republican lawmakers and Democratic city officials.

That acrimony continued after the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) announced Friday that it was looking for a private contractor to operate the Jackson water system for a year. As proposed by MEMA, the agreement would be funded by the city.

In a press release Monday, Reeves said his office had been told by city officials that Lumumba was planning to “terminate cooperation on the functional side of the city” by “refusing to engage in participate in the selection process of the water supply operator”.

“While politics is clearly his priority, we are simply trying to make sure that Jackson country doesn’t fail again,” Reeves said. “Ultimately, it may fall to the city council to rein in this extreme gambling.”

After that, ranchers started even though MEMA wrote that they required a private contractor “in agreement with the command of the City of Jackson.”

Reeves threatened to solicit state support if the city did not change course. City officials have announced that they “no longer desire state assistance and insist on going it alone,” said Reeves.

In a statement, Lumumba countered that the city was “”going it alone” after years of asking for state assistance” and that Jackson “did not mention ending the City’s cooperation” with officials. state and federal institutions. The mayor said the city would not agree to a request for a private contractor until they have had an opportunity to modify the language of the proposal.

“The city, with support from people who are truly invested in the repair and maintenance of water treatment facilities, will have the final say,” said Lumumba. “We want productive conversations that lead to an actual deal rather than a headline.”

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