Why the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Is Investigating the EPA

The Flint water crisis is an environmental justice issue, Etats-Unis. Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Gina McCarthy told community activists on a March 10 conference call, where she assured them the agency won’t be leaving Flint until the problem is resolved. “It’s clear to me that this problem is really all about money, a lack of investment in undeserved communities,” McCarthy said.

As that call was taking place, the National Environmental Justice Conference was going on in Washington, À courant continu, where McCarthy later delivered a keynote address reiterating these comments about Flint. McCarthy is not incorrect about the role of money in the city’s water crisis. Flint has become the national symbol for economically distressed cities. But as CityLab’s Laura Bliss has reported, the Flint crisis is also about paltry law enforcement. This holds especially true regarding laws that are supposed to protect communities that have historically suffered from discrimination and disinvestment. The EPA has not been up to that task, as The Center for Public Integrity has reported—which is why the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is now investigating the agency.

Lire la suite: CityLab.com