Zamudio, M. I. (2023, January 20). Study finds disparities in states’ distribution of federal funds for water systems. The Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from https://publicintegrity.org/environment/natural-resources/study-finds-disparities-in-states-distribution-of-federal-funds-for-water-systems/

A study found that a $55 billion congressional fund to address issues with water infrastructure around the country disproportionately went to white communities. With every incremental increase in the proportion of white people in an area, the likelihood of receiving funds for maintaining water infrastructure increased as well. The money was distributed by state governments, advocates have pointed to a few possible explanations for the discrepancy, including that utility companies serving wealthier communities, which are often predominantly white, tend to have access to resources and consultants to help them strategically apply to grants and appeal to the government for aid. In contrast, many of the communities with the most need don’t have these resources and may never know about or apply to infrastructure maintenance funding programs at all.

The conversation around environmental justice often centers on air pollution, but water infrastructure issues are among the many other aspects of inequality in our environmental policy too. This article also referenced the water issue in Jackson, Mississippi, which another one of my articles wrote about too. This study just goes to show that Jackson is not an outlier, but rather, emblematic of larger, structural issues. Highlighting these inequalities is critical in the study of environmental science and policy, because the advancements we create need to be accessible especially to communities that are already facing the largest impacts of climate change and the least federal support to shoulder them.