"The northeast Houston area in question has suffered for years from the dumping of trash that poses health and quality of life risks."
"The Justice Department opened an investigation against the city of Houston on Friday to determine whether complaints of illegal dumping — including dead bodies and animals — in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods amount to civil rights violations.
The northeast Houston area in question has suffered for years from the dumping of dead bodies, animals, medical waste, mattresses and other trash that pose health and quality of life risks into Houston’s “Super Neighborhood 48,” known as Trinity/Houston Gardens, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke said in a call with reporters.
The investigation is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to address the pollution that causes disproportionate harms to low-income areas and communities of color, and follows the DOJ’s establishment of the Office of Environmental Justice and strategy in May. Clarke called illegal dumping “a longstanding environmental justice issue,” noting such sites draw rodents and pests that endanger health, contaminate surface water and raise flood risks by impeding proper drainage."
Zack Colman reports for Politico July 22, 2022.
SEE ALSO:
"U.S. Launches Probe Of Houston Illegal Dumping Over Alleged Discrimination" (Reuters)
"Houston Faces US Civil Rights Probe on Illegal Dumping in Black, Latino Areas" (Bloomberg)
"DOJ Begins Environmental Justice Investigation In Houston Over Dumping" (Washington Post)
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