"JACKSON, Miss. — Farmers and environmentalists have been arguing for decades over proposals for a massive federal flood-control project in the south Mississippi Delta. The fight is continuing into a new presidential administration.

Four conservation groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency, with the ultimate goal of blocking construction of pumps in the Yazoo Backwater area north of Vicksburg.

The pump project moved closer to reality during Republican President Donald Trump’s four years in office, propelled by lobbying from Mississippi elected officials.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday gave a green light to the project, but Congress has set aside only a portion of the money needed. The estimated price tag is at least $400 million."

Emily Wagster Pettus reports for the Associated Press January 17, 2021. [2]