The Roots of the Jackson Mississippi Water Crisis

The podcast episode explores the root causes of the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. The Environmental Protection Agency failed to monitor extreme levels of industrial waste dumping into the city's water system, causing the deterioration of the water infrastructure. Additionally, the city faced issues with a fraudulent bond to finance water system upgrades, and subsequent mayoral changes plagued efforts to address the crisis. The Federal and Mississippi state governments have shown little interest in helping the city, exacerbating the problem. The episode argues that Moody's and other bond rating agencies' harsh treatment of municipalities, based on poverty rather than default risk, further hampers the city's ability to address the crisis. Overall, the episode highlights the need for significant financial and governmental intervention to resolve the ongoing water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi.