05/05/2023

U.S. Settles Landmark Alabama Environmental Justice Case

Residents were denied access to adequate sewage systems

Alabama authorities discriminated against Black residents of a rural county by denying access to adequate sewage systems and fining them for sanitation problems beyond their control, according to a first-of-its kind environmental justice agreement announced on Thursday by the Biden administration.

Under the deal that followed an 18-month federal probe, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) agreed to provide basic sanitation services, end exposure to raw sewage and suspend criminal penalties against Lowndes County residents who could not afford septic systems, the Justice Department said.

"Today starts a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Alabama who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Reuters.