President Donald Trump has granted a request from Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, for federal support in response to a massive raw sewage spill in the Potomac River that has become a political flash point and will take weeks to clean up.
The president tapped EPA Friday to lead efforts to contain the waste and oversee repairs to the Potomac Interceptor, a large sewer pipe that collapsed Jan. 19 and caused the spill. Trump also authorized FEMA to coordinate disaster relief and help communities affected by the incident, which sent at least 240 millions of gallons of sewage into the river.
The approval of D.C.’s disaster assistance request comes days after state and local officials were summoned to the White House for a meeting on the spill that Trump has tried to blame on Democrats, especially Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The interceptor is operated by DC Water, a water and sewer utility serving D.C. and parts of Maryland and Virginia, and is regulated by EPA.
“This mess must be completely addressed as fast as humanly possible, and the Trump EPA stands ready, motivated, and highly capable to step in and correct this situation,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a news release.
