The Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department are also investigating possible violations of federal law.
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The investigation will determine if any state laws were violated in the wake of numerous complaints of lead exposure.
Messages seeking comment on the shift weren’t immediately returned Friday. Jim Ananich and state Representatives Sheldon Neeley and Phil Phelps over what can be done to remedy the lead discovered in the city’s drinking water. Even after being treated and deemed acceptable, the water eroded the city’s pipes and water lines and accumulated iron, lead, and other metals from the material of the pipes. On Jan. 5, he declared a state of emergency in the city and surrounding Genesee County on Jan. 5, but critics said that came months after initial alarm bells about the crisis went unheeded.
Liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan says people affected by the emergency will rally beside labor, environmental and public health advocates Tuesday night near the state Capitol. This man-made water disaster has been devastating and frustrating for the residents of Flint. The National Guard is distributing water, filters and other supplies.
Residents are unable to use tap water for drinking, bathing, or cooking.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has told the federal government that the needs of people in Flint during the water crisis “far exceed the state’s capability”.
Governor Rick Snyder made the formal request for aid Thursday.
Weaver said she was glad Snyder reached out to President Barack Obama to request federal emergency status.
The crisis erupted after Flint stopped receiving its water supply from the neighbouring city of Detroit due to unaffordable hikes in rates and started sourcing from the local Flint River in April 2014 as a cost-cutting temporary measure. The city now is in receivership, and the city administrator is responsible and accountable for the day-to-day city operations.
Flint residents and people across the board are boiling mad with the Governor, calling for his immediate impeachment and arrest.
A project like this is great news for towns like Flint, which could reduce their public water costs by procuring it locally while also creating jobs to construct and maintain the new system. He said Friday that he was glad to see Snyder’s request.
This is a nightmarish event that Mr. Snyder and his administration could have headed off long ago.
For more than a year, water drawn from the Flint River leached lead from old pipes into homes after the city switched its drinking water. Schuette, a Republican, is considered a likely candidate for governor. “The costs add up quickly and the state simply can’t absorb them all”, said Snyder spokesman Meegan Holland.
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Given his indifference until forced to act, outsiders will need to monitor the state’s response to make sure it protects the health of the residents of Flint now and in future years.
