EPA: "All options are on the table" regarding a possible federal takeover of Jackson's water system
CBSN
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says "all options are on the table" when it comes to a possible federal takeover of the water system in Jackson, Mississippi.
"It's hard to explain how and why government has failed the city of Jackson and the people of Jackson," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told CBS News in an interview that aired Tuesday on "Prime Time with John Dickerson."
Regan has traveled to Jackson twice since flooding at the end of August triggered the failure of a water treatment plant and left the capital city without running water for days. President Biden issued a disaster declaration and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared an emergency. The National Guard was called in to help with water distribution, schools and businesses were forced to close and residents were told to shower with their mouths closed because the water was not safe.
More employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed Wednesday that their jobs appear in doubt. Senior leadership at the EPA held an all-staff meeting to tell individuals that President Trump's executive order, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which was responsible for the closure of the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, will likely lead to the shuttering of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights as well.
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