Congress to Investigate Jackson, Miss. Water Crisis

Facts

• In a letter sent to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi by two Democratic representatives, Congress announced that it will be investigating the water crisis that struck the state's capital, Jackson, and left 150K people without water for several days late this past summer.
• The joint investigation led by Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), will be conducted by the House Homeland Security and the Oversight and Reform committees. The investigation will probe how Miss. used $10B from the American Rescue Plan Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and another $429M that was "specifically allotted to enhance the state's water infrastructure."
• Though Jackson has struggled with water infrastructure for many years, in late August following a heavy rain event, the city's main water treatment plant failed entirely. With Jackson already under a "boil-water advisory," the failure shut down running water; water was restored within days but the infrastructure remains vulnerable.
• In their investigation, Thompson and Maloney have asked for the racial composition and population size of the communities that received the funds. Additionally, they have requested an explanation for why Jackson was the only city that the state legislature placed under additional oversight as a precondition to receiving funds from a program for local governments.
• In the letter received by Gov. Reeves, the investigation will look into press reports that the governor was involved in blocking or delaying funds for repairs to Jackson's water infrastructure. There has been no comment from Reeve's office in response to the allegations.
• In January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice to the city advising them that the water system violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. In September, the city was threatened with legal action if they did not cooperate in negotiations related to the water system.

Sources: US News, CBS, Al Jazeera, NBC, Newsbud, and Abc.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Mississippi Today. Jackson's water crisis is due to roadblocks from the state in supporting this majority-Black city. Decades of state-sanctioned dysfunction have led to infrastructure decay and failure. The racist and condescending parental-like oversight has left vulnerable groups - largely people of color - stuck with inadequate water services.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by WLBT. While the current state administration did not create this problem, they are working diligently to help the city of Jackson with its water infrastructure. Jackson will have to develop a plan to receive the money and Mississippi will work in partnership with municipal officials to lobby for additional federal funds as needed.