Biden admin says Alabama heath officials didn’t address sewage system failures disproportionately affecting Black residents
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.
According to a 15-page signed agreement 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 agreement also mandates that the state and county health agencies “consistently engage” with community residents, local government officials, environmental experts and advocates as well as develop a public health awareness campaign to ensure residents receive “critical health and safety information related to raw sewage exposure.
The effort was part of a growing push by the Justice Department to treat the failure of local governments to deliver adequate services — particularly when it comes to environmental issues — as a possible civil rights violation that should be investigated and litigated.
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