He also said, however, that officials in Flint, a poor, predominately black city of 100,000 residents, ignored the advice of their own consultants to take action. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems.
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“The pressures (on scientists) to get funding are just extraordinary”, he said, adding, “we’re all on this hedonistic treadmill – pursuing funding, pursuing fame, pursuing (credit from peers) – and the idea of science as a public good is being lost”.
EPA, however, has left no doubts, especially in the last month, where it believes most of the blame lies, especially with the state having primary responsibility for overseeing drinking water under federal statute.
But much attention has focused on who wasn’t testifying at the hearing: Gov. Snyder and city emergency managers who presided over the now-infamous decision to change Flint’s water source.
Some analysts have said Flint’s water crisis points to underlying concerns about privatization of water and government in the emergency management system.
Federal prosecutors are working with a multi-agency investigation team on the Flint water contamination matter. One is that the “safe” water pumped from Lake Huron into residents’ homes still leaches risky contaminants from Flint’s corroded pipes – even with filters.
Cummings also argued the fault for the crisis was with Governor Snyder and the emergency managers he appointed.
An independent panel appointed by Snyder has determined that the MI department of environmental quality was primarily responsible for the water contamination.
Marc Edwards, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech who helped uncover the pollution, said he’d been warning the EPA for years of the weakness of federal laws meant to prevent such disasters from happening.
Flint residents peppered Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday night with questions about their water bills and whether the state plans to help replace underground pipes damaged by corrosive river water. The analysis found lead concentrations of 25 parts per billion in 10 percent of Flint homes.
The city of Flint, Michigan, is under a federal emergency declaration after it was discovered that residents were being delivered lead-contaminated water for over a year.
Flint residents had been complaining for more than a year about the city’s water quality, with issues ranging from the color and odor of the water to rashes and hair loss they said appeared after consuming it. City and state officials had maintained the water was safe, making Del Toral’s preliminary report the first instance of a public official addressing public water quality concerns. He said government at all levels should have done more.
Earley notified Snyder of his decision on Tuesday and said he had completed work ahead of his 18-month schedule.
“We want this fixed”, Stabenow said on the Senate floor.
She said during the Finance and Administration Committee meeting that the city’s collection rate has declined since August and the city’s operations continue to be jeopardized. “EPA regional staff urged (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality) to address the lack of corrosion control, but was met with resistance”. The resolution is expected to be discussed again at another meeting Monday, officials said.
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Mays, 37, said she hoped the next hearing would include the people accused in the cover-up, including Early, and workers from MDEQ and EPA.
