“You can see if the kid was lead-exposed, how much lead exposure there was, and when the kid had it. We’re also looking at newborn heel spots (the blood taken in hospitals from the heels of all newborns) because lead in water impacts newborns”.
Advertisement
Governor Rick Snyder called the head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday to request a chance to testify.
While the local response to Flint’s crisis has been minimal – the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency has received “three or four” inquiries from residents – the agency was proactive in addressing concerns, said Dennis Diemer, general manager of the agency.
“They prevented that team from coming here and helping us to find the source”, Henry said. The city switched water supplies but the damage was already done to the lead pipes.
“If the governor is serious about wanting to be transparent, he will release every single document and communication regarding the Flint Water Crisis, including those of his executive staff”, Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan, said in a statement.
According to USA authorities, contamination occurred after residents started receiving water from Flint River, which was treated at the Flint water treatment plant, instead of water from Lake Huron.
Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz invited Snyder to appear before the committee at a time yet to be determined, and Snyder accepted the offer.
Rick Snyder, center and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Deacon Omar Odette, right, meet with volunteers helping to load vehicles with bottled water in Flint, Mich. Snyder’s standing as one of the GOP’s most accomplished governors has taken a beating in the lead-contaminated water emergency in Flint.
Snyder said Friday he welcomes the opportunity to answer questions about the crisis. Still, as required by federal and state drinking water regulations, Davis and Woodland officials collect water samples from homes throughout their distribution systems to confirm that they are in compliance with safe lead and copper levels.
In the midst of the ongoing investigation into the Flint water scandal, the state of MI has publicly released a series of emails between regulators that proves officials were informed about the presence of lead in Flint’s water supply and ignored the information for more than six months.
But during the 18-month experiment, the city showed an inability to keep bacteria and cancer-causing total trihalomethanes (TTHM) out of water.
There have been calls that Snyder resign over his handling of the crisis. The emails came from several state departments, including Environmental Quality; Technology, Management and Budget; Health and Human Services; Agriculture and Rural Development; and Treasury. “This crisis never should have happened”.
Advertisement
Busch was among state officials who celebrated the switch to Flint River water, a move created to save the city millions of dollars over a short period of time while Flint was being run by a state appointed emergency manager.
