The EPA sent a team of investigators to Jackson. NBC News reported tonight:
A team from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General arrived in Jackson last week to begin a “multidisciplinary” top-to-bottom review of the current drinking water crisis, an agency spokesperson told NBC News.
“The EPA OIG is keenly interested and concerned about what is happening in Jackson, Mississippi,” said the spokesperson, Jennifer Kaplan. “Last week, we began sending OIG personnel to collect data and conduct interviews, and over the coming week we expect to announce work related to the city’s water system.”
The inspector general’s office is staffed by teams of auditors, evaluators and criminal investigators; the office did not say which specific teams were deployed to Jackson.
In recent years, the issues with Jackson’s water system have come under scrutiny from state and federal regulatory officials, who have flagged problems ranging from inadequate staffing at the city’s main water treatment plant to delays in carrying out needed repairs....
The inspector general’s inquiry in Jackson is similar to the EPA’s involvement in Flint, Michigan, beginning in 2014, which culminated in a blistering report on lead contamination four years later. That report concluded: “The EPA should strengthen its oversight of state drinking water programs to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency’s response to drinking water contamination emergencies.” Article
This might get interesting.
43 comments:
This is certainly a positive development for Madison county. I can assure you these Guvmnt employees are not habitating in Hinds county.
What do they think they can do if they find anything? Now if they were looking for a few million gallons of untreated sewer water they may be in luck but I don't think they are doing anything except making jobs for themselves.
It is also racist to look at anything in Jackson.
Four years? They have two before this mayor moves on. If they want to hold anyone accountable, they better speed it up.
So much for the theory that Lumumba brilliantly played the state and the feds to get money for infrastructure.
Don't let the EPA report see the light of day, chok. It's the jackwagon way.
Call a press conference and tell the world that it's environmental racism. Damn the white flight to hell.
No way in cornbread hell the city is responsible for the failure to maintain their own infrastructure.
Dear EPA,
First order of business is charge Antar for letting millions of gallons of raw sewerage run into streets, streams and Pearl River.
Second, go to Savanna St WWTP-Tate has the water situation under control.
Sincerely.
Tax Payer
Wonder how many of those EBO contracts will be scrutinized, especially in the water meter installation and sludge hauling sectors…
Here is the only question the EPA needs to ask the "current" operators at the plant: where are you employed?
We have teams from Georgia, Florida and Louisiana at the plant. Very few FT Mississippi employees.
We could get the billions that Cindy wants from Biden, and the plant will go to crap in 3-4 years without employees to run it.
Same for our Jackson police department: Tate is expanding the Capital Police from 37 to 150; again, because Lumbaby is woefully incompetent.
If you added up the brainpower from Lumbaby and Carlos the Clown, you would have one-half a grapefruit.
The clock keeps ticking on Lumumba and his scam. He thinks that as a black progressive leader, the feds won't bring him to task but instead will just send plenty of bucks down his way to bail out his failure as long as he is in office.
Problem is, those folks at the EPA actually think that they have a responsibility for insuring that the environment is safe from idiots like him that will dump gallons of shit into the river - while pinning for more money to resolve the white flight, stystimic racism, and whatever buzz words hes can conjure.
Most of the folks at EPA are actually career folks - yes, many went there because of their desire to protect the environment and are therefore believed to be democrats at heart - but actually, they don't give as much of a shit about the politics as the crap that is being pumped into the river and the water that is not drinkable.
Chockwe - this will probably be your death knell - they aren't going to sign on to your 'systimic racism', the white folks moved to northeast Jackson to be close to the water treatment plant narrative from last year (the biggest bullshit claim you have ever tried to sell, since NEJackson was built two decades before Curtis was built, but your buddies in the national media never bothered to look into those little details) - so, pack it up. This investigation will bring your reign to a halt, and your packing your buddies pockets will not happen with the tons of fed dollars you thought you could bring raining down.
Is anyone surprised how quiet the city council has been through all this? I thought there would have been more of a presence from them in front of the press piling on against the mayor. Or the mayor defecting blame towards them.
Unless they have the power and the willingness to arrest and charge those responsible for the millions of gallons of raw sewage being dumped into to the Pearl, hizzoner included, it's just so much more 'we're from the government and we're here to help'.
Can anyone say
“Great! Let’s all work together and fix this problem!”
Apparently not.
This site actually is just like jackson water - it’s a sludge infested toxic Shit hole
I believe many will be disappointed. EPA like many federal agencies has has become very woke over the past 15-20 years. They have prioritized Environmental Justice over science and protection of environment. Wouldn't be surprised if after their review, they mimic Lumumba's rhetoric and old man Joe redistributes hundreds of millions to the fine folks in Jackson.
This represents a change. I remember when Obama dispatched teams of Justice Department attorneys to Mississippi and New Orleans in response to any disaster declaration. They took up entire hotel floors in efforts to figure out who to sue, who was accountable and how to indict and criminally charge.
A clear signal of intent can be determined when we see whether it's Cindy or Bennie who steps off the plane with these guys.
@1:11 am - get some sleep. Lighten up Francis.
And it’s “ensure” not “insure”.
If they get federal money they will hire some contractor that doesn’t know what they are doing!
The staff knows what's going on. The real question is will the political leadership backstab their own people to protect you know who
No, I don't know 'you know who'. Are you talking about 'The Big Guy' or Lumumba or who? And to whom are you referring as 'political leadership'? State? Federal? Be clear.
The EPA will never hold the Mayor or City Council responsible. In Flynt, the Mayor was totally responsible, yet he walked freely. A public works was convicted of a crime for carrying out the Mayors orders after initially resisting.
The systemic and environmental racism cause won’t be refuted. It’s politics and political narratives prevail.
Bennie and Biden will see to it that Little Lord Fontleroy is shielded from the kind of scrutiny that would end most political careers. And, thus, will perpetuate the left’s long-standing policy of the soft racism of low expectations.
I have met with EPA OIG folks several times over the years concerning water and wastewater program issues. I'm pretty sure most of the commenters don't know how they work.
The EPA used to have wide enforcement powers. Then Trump was elected and began systematically dismantling the agency and reducing its powers to protect his fossil fuel money donors. You get what you vote for, folks.
Oh Chokeway the Feds don't come in unless there's evidence.
This time the sh!t has hit the fan! Figuratively & literally!!
9:09...where the hell you been. If that were only true. Our electoral system has become you vote against what you hate the most, seldom do we get the opportunity to vote for what we want. Those people don't want anything to do with politics any more.....either side of the fence.
So, 9:04, what's going to happen? Are the cynical predictions of business as usual following the EPA investigation going to be fulfilled?
9:04, most of the commenters here don’t know how anything works
1:11 AM, are you dreaming? The EPA already knows about the things Boy Choc has done. What have they done up to this time. I think they may have written a few letters. Look for much of the same from this visit.
"Can anyone say 'Great! Let’s all work together and fix this problem!'”
Many of us have been saying and hoping that for years, only to be met with BS and disappointment after disappointment.
I no long trust this mayor to do anything for the city without strings attached. I just don't think he is capable of acting unselfishly for others and in good faith.
Following up on 10:48, I have noticed a definite uptick in what appears to be counter-messaging to Facebook, etc. Fighting BS with BS, as it were, which only stacks the whole pile higher.
Will they please investigate water billing? https://www.wlbt.com/2021/02/11/former-jackson-city-councilman-could-be-brought-help-sort-out-water-billing-problems/?outputType=amp Or in the very least decision making!!!
I do know if I had said that no posters knew how something worked, I would give an example. I thought that would be self-evident, but....
I would expect very little from the EPA.
They have been on Jackson's ass for years and because it is majority black they just don't have the ability to drop the hammer on them.
Now that Tate has kicked the bee's nest, they all have to run in and act like they can strongarm the city into compliance and get credit for saving the day.
Just more government employees not doing shit until they have to.
More than a few elected officials and appointed ones (past and present) should be shaking in their boots.Those who have benefitted from political " largesse" should be hiring lawyers as well.
More than a few elected officials who tried to " do the right thing" are likely to discover than some of the " friends " and "supporters" they appointed cared only about themselves.
These auditors will be looking at how the federal funds intended to improve infrastructure and environmental damage sent to Mississippi have been spent. No doubt Bennie Thompson will have given them the benefit of his experiences with " politics as usual" in Mississippi as well.
We might have a chance to stop being the "most corrupt State" in the country even with other State legislatures trying to rob us of that worldwide title.
9:17 The EPA is in a tight spot. They’d love to lower the boom on someone but they won’t do that in a Democrat-run city and they can’t blame the governor or other outside entity for this. My guess is they will issue statements to give cover to Jackson officials and may even chastise the state for not stepping in sooner (even though it’s not the state’s job).
Is anyone surprised how quiet the city council has been through all this?
That is odd...even the big talkers are AWOL.
The EPA needs to go visit the elderly black lady who had sewage running across her yard, under her house and into the street.....someone needs to be jailed for allowing that to continue
“Great! Let’s all work together and fix this problem!”, no, this will not happen. The issue isn't as you said, this website.
No, the difficulty remains the same, the radical marxist mayor is at war, with the governor, and the established norms of our society.
This has not, and will not change. The marxists have no intentions of creating peace. Anything that resembles peace is only a lull in the continued onslaughts against established norms.
The EPA, is influenced by the same marxist ideology that the mayor adhears to, so don't expect any more than a slap on the wrist, if that.
EPA will do what they do —write a condemning report, give it to the Mayor, go home and promptly turn in their expense reports. Nothing changes in MS.
One of the neighborhoods affected with raw sewage in the streets and under houses is Kenny Stokes homestead. Apparently he’s used to it and doesn’t do much to “help” his constituents. However - Kenny is no fool. I believe he’s being silent to watch this play out like a hunter and prey. If things get rowdy - you can bet he will be the bull in the China shop that has actually started making legitimate sense the last few months. He may not speak to white people but he will call out an incompetent ass when necessary.
7:11, Please don't project your learned helplessness on the rest of us. A lot has changed in Mississippi. Ask any black folks who are old enough to have grown up under the Jim Crow laws.
@ 1:11. I concur!!
I love the residents that suddenly want to "work together" and shame anyone who speaks short of that.
Highly recommend you get behind propelling a candidate into the Mayoral role that shares your sentiment if you want anyone else to care.
Because your boy has been real fast to shush business owners that wanted HIS help in the past. He and his posse made it real clear that they were in control has no use for opinions of those with fairer complexions.
So telling us to shut up if we are not willing to help is a real poor strategy.
We already have clean water and stable tax bases.
Seems the mayor and many residents are the ones that need to shut up...and maybe even say thank you instead of laying out more demands for decorum.
I expect the EPA to cover for Chuckles.
Anyone naïve enough to think they will drop any hammer or even a feather on his precious Democrat head is kidding themselves.
EPA, you have no power here! Mayor will just ignore this report like the other EPA report.
Just in. Mayor Chowke Antar Lumumba has exercised his duty as Mayor by vetoing the EPA
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