DOJ terminated an agreement reached in 2023 with the Alabama Department of Public Health to address the lack of basic sanitation services in Lowndes County spanning decades. DOJ announced in its decision that had rescinded the agreement because “DOJ will no longer push ‘environmental justice’” pursuant to Executive Order 14151, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.”
Residents of Lowndes County have suffered public health issues for decades, in a community that is three-quarters black and in which almost one third of residents live below the poverty line. The agreement had required Alabama to implement policy changes such as not arresting individuals who could not afford new septic systems, addressing public health issues alongside the CDC, and planning for public health and infrastructure to address the long-standing issues.