Biden admin says Alabama heath officials didn't address sewage system failures disproportionately af
Last edited Thu May 4, 2023, 03:38 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: MSN
Biden admin says Alabama heath officials didn’t address sewage system failures disproportionately affecting Black residents
After an investigation into failing sewage systems in Lowndes County, Alabama, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have concluded that the Alabama Department of Public Health and county Health Department engaged in a “consistent pattern of inaction and/or neglect” and despite their awareness of problems “failed to take meaningful actions to remedy” the conditions that disproportionately affected Black residents of the rural community, according to the administration's findings, which were obtained by NBC News.
As part of the findings, the federal departments have come to an “interim resolution agreement” under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act with the state and county agencies that, if followed, would substantially change the way local officials have been dealing with residents who have failing systems or no systems at all and have reported being forced to live amid raw human waste.
According to a 15-page signed contract reviewed by NBC News, the state and county agencies have agreed to take a number of actions, including suspending “enforcement of sanitation laws that could result in criminal charges, fines, jail time, and potential property loss for residents in Lowndes County who lack the means to purchase functioning septic systems.” The departments have also agreed to conduct a survey to figure out which residents need sewage systems or septic tanks and how to prioritize those needs.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/biden-admin-says-alabama-heath-officials-didn-t-address-sewage-system-failures-disproportionately-affecting-black-residents/ar-AA1aKe8K?li=BB141NW3
= new reply since forum marked as read
