YAZOO CITY, Miss. (WJTV) – The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced on Wednesday, December 15 that they are withdrawing their decision on the 2020 Yazoo Pumps plan.
The basis for the withdrawal was the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to restore the Clean Water Act veto that happened in 2008.
The Trump Administration’s decision to revive the pumps in 2020 was challenged by federal lawsuits filed by Earthjustice on behalf of American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club and Healthy Gulf against the Corps, EPA and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The withdrawal was prompted by these legal challenges.
The Corps unlawfully refused to consider any other alternatives except the Pumps, yet they themselves acknowledge their plan would leave most local communities vulnerable – Corps data shows only 17% of the backwater would receive any flood relief from the Pumps. No more time or taxpayer money should be spent on pursuing a boondoggle that would only deliver more environmental injustice to the Mississippi Delta
American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Healthy Gulf, and Earthjustice