LOWNDES COUNTY, Ala. — A landmark federal agreement aimed at remedying decades of sewage and sanitation problems in Lowndes County has been abruptly canceled, leaving residents and advocates worried that progress on basic public health protections may stall.
The Department of Justice ended the 2023 environmental justice settlement earlier this month, citing new executive orders from President Donald Trump that bar federal agencies from implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Lowndes County agreement, the first of its kind in Alabama, was designed to address the disproportionate impact of failing septic systems and raw sewage exposure on the county’s largely Black, low-income population.
Under the agreement, the Alabama Department of Public Health was required to suspend criminal penalties for residents unable to afford functioning septic systems, conduct public health campaigns, and prioritize repairs for homes most at risk. With the settlement now void, state officials say they will continue installing septic systems only as long as existing funds are available, raising concerns about what happens when those resources run out.
Local leaders and environmental advocates argue that the issue in Lowndes County goes beyond DEI policy, describing it as a fundamental matter of public health and civil rights. Many worry that the loss of federal oversight could slow or reverse hard-won progress, and some see the decision as emblematic of a broader, unpredictable shift in federal priorities.
For decades, communities like Lowndes County have struggled to get attention and resources for basic infrastructure. Now, with the agreement’s end and the future of related federal investigations uncertain, residents face renewed uncertainty over whether their longstanding sanitation problems will ever be fully addressed.