"Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation, has requested EPA investigate the agency’s handling of a controversial flood control project in his state.
In a letter to Administrator Michael Regan, Thompson asked the agency to dig into EPA’s decision issued during the Trump administration to reverse a past veto of the Yazoo Pumps project. The letter was obtained by E&E News under the Freedom of Information Act.
The request by Thompson, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee and has been supportive of the project in the past, cited E&E News reporting that the Trump EPA had disregarded staff warnings about how the project could affect the Mississippi Delta (Greenwire, Aug. 27).
In his Aug. 30 letter, Thompson said the story raised "serious issues" about EPA’s handling of the project, adding that the decision to vacate the veto 'may have been issued in violation of Congressionally-mandated requirements and that critical concerns raised by career staff scientists were ignored.'"
Hannah Northey and Kevin Bogardus report for E&E News November 4, 2021.
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