JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Congress is investigating the crisis that left 150,000 people in Mississippi’s capital without running water for several days in late summer, according to a letter sent to Governor Tate Reeves by two Democratic officials .
Representatives Bennie Thompson, of Mississippi, and Carolyn Maloney, of New York, sent the letter Monday requesting information on how Mississippi plans to spend $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. , and $429 million “specifically allocated to improving the state’s water infrastructure.
The letter indicates “the start of a joint investigation” by the House Homeland Security and Oversight and Reform committees into a crisis that left Jackson’s 150,000 residents without running water for several days in late August and early September, Adam Comis, a committee staffer told The Associated Press.
The Thompson District comprises most of Jackson and he chairs the Homeland Security Committee. Maloney chairs the Oversight and Reform Committee.
Jackson has had water issues for years, and the latest issues began in late August following heavy rains exacerbated problems at the city’s main sewage treatment plant, leaving many patrons without running water. Jackson had previously been on a boil water advisory since late July because the state health department found cloudy water that might make people sick.
Running water was restored within days and a boil water advisory was lifted in mid-September, but the letter to Reeves states that “the city’s water plant infrastructure remains precarious and the risks to the people of Jackson persist.”
The pair of congressional Democrats asked for a breakdown of where the state sent funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and bipartisan infrastructure law, including “racial demographics and size of the population of each community which received aid. They also requested information on whether Jackson faced “heavy hurdles” to receive additional federal funds. The letter asked Reeves to provide the requested information by October 31.
Mississippi has yet to announce how it will spend American Rescue Plan Act money for water projects. Cities and counties had a September 30 deadline to apply for funding.
According to the letter, Oversight Committee staff learned during a briefing with Jackson officials that the state had attempted to limit Jackson’s funding for its water system. The state reportedly plans to “bar communities of more than 4,000 people from competing for additional bipartisan infrastructure law funding,” the letter says.
In their letter, Thompson and Maloney also referenced AP reports that Reeves had helped delay funds for water system repairs in Jackson and claimed to have withheld funds. Reeves’ office did not immediately respond to AP’s request for comment on the letter.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued an advisory in January that Jackson’s water system violates federal drinking water safety law. In September, federal prosecutors threatened legal action once morest the city if it did not agree to negotiations related to its water system. 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 Jackson residents with a reliable water supply system reflects decades of government dysfunction, population change and decaying infrastructure. It has also fueled a political battle between GOP state lawmakers and Democratic city officials.
That acrimony continued following the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency announced Friday it was looking for a private contractor to operate Jackson’s water system for a year. The deal would be funded by the city of Jackson, according to the proposal released by MEMA.
In a press release Monday, Reeves said his office had been informed by city officials that Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba planned to “functionally end the city’s cooperation” by “declining to participate in the selection process of a water operator”.
“While politics is clearly his priority, we’re just trying to make sure Jackson’s water doesn’t break down once more,” Reeves said. “Ultimately, it may be up to the city council to curb this radical gamble.”
The rancor ensued even though MEMA wrote that it had requested a private contractor “under unified command with the city of Jackson.”
Reeves threatened to withdraw state aid if the city did not change course. City officials were communicating that they “no longer want state assistance and insist on going it alone,” Reeves said.
In a statement, Lumumba countered that the city had “gone it alone” following years of asking for state support” and that Jackson “made no mention of ending the city’s cooperation” with the state and federal authorities. The mayor said the city would not accept the request from a private contractor until it had a chance to revise the wording of the proposal.
“The city, with the support of those who are really invested in repairing and maintaining water treatment facilities, will have the final say,” Lumumba said. “We look forward to productive conversations that lead to a real deal instead of a title.”
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Michael Goldberg is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to report on underreported issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg.
Michael Goldberg, l’Associated Press
