DOJ ends environmental settlement with Lowndes County, citing 'illegal' policies

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ended a settlement agreement with Lowndes County regarding wastewater infrastructure, citing what was called "illegal DEI preferences" in a statement. 

In 2023 an interim resolution was reached after the DOJ and Health and Human Services (HHS) conducted an investigation during the administration of former President Joe Biden and reportedly found that Lowndes County residents were not receiving proper wastewater services.  

According to the DOJ statement released on Friday, April 11 the agreement was terminated per the Executive Order 14151, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” under President Donald Trump. 

The order prohibits federal agencies from pursuing programs and initiatives that fall under DEI or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The statement added that these include anything related to "environmental justice". 

“The DOJ will no longer push ‘environmental justice’ as viewed through a distorting, DEI lens,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “President Trump made it clear: Americans deserve a government committed to serving every individual with dignity and respect, and to expending taxpayer resources in accordance with the national interest, not arbitrary criteria.”

The action drew criticism from lawmaker Terri Sewell, who represents Lowndes County. She released the following statement on Monday: 

“This agreement had nothing to do with DEI. It was about addressing a public health crisis that has forced generations of children and families to endure the health hazards of living in proximity to raw sewage, as the DOJ itself documented. By terminating it, the Trump Administration has put its blatant disregard for the health of my constituents on full display.

“Access to adequate wastewater infrastructure is a basic human right. Without support from the Trump Administration, it is vital that the Alabama Department of Public Health continue to do its part to remedy this injustice. I will continue fighting to address Alabama’s rural wastewater crisis and get our communities the infrastructure they deserve.”