The Justice Department says it suspended an investigation into allegations that Houston leaders failed to adequately combat illegal dumping of waste in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods because of a mitigation plan the city announced this year.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said federal authorities will spend three years monitoring the One Clean Houston initiative that aims to increase fines for violators, bolster funding for bulk waste removal and improve reporting of illegal dumping violations.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said the plan, enacted in March, has reduced the city government’s response time to reports of illegal dumping to 11 days from 49 days last year and helped remove 20,000 tons of debris, 24 percent more than in 2022. The city has doubled the number of law enforcement officers dedicated to monitoring illegal dumping, and 210 violators have been fined, more than four times as many as last year.
Justice officials said Houston officials have committed to share enforcement and cleanup data with the federal government, improve communication with residents in the affected neighborhoods and launch a federal civil rights training program for city employees. The One Clean Houston initiative was launched with an investment of $18 million and will receive more funding in coming years, city officials said.
“Many aspects of the One Clean Houston initiative are responsive to the concerns set forth in the Title 6 complaint we received,” Clarke said at a news conference in Houston with Turner and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani of the Southern District of Texas. “There’s no doubt this initiative is an important step in addressing illegal dumping here in Houston.”
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