The US Environmental Protection Agency has said it acted too slowly to address the situation in Flint, but added it was hampered by “failures and resistance at the state and local levels to work with us in a forthright, transparent and proactive manner”.
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On a night when Gov. Rick Snyder addressed the state of Michigan during his annual State of the State Address, thousands of Michigan citizens converged on the steps of the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan, to voice their displeasure with the governor. Katie Oppenheim is a registered nurse and president of the University of Michigan Nurse’s Union. However, Snyder said if we repeat the mistakes of the past, MI could lose the auto industry.
He himself has acknowledged it’s been a “disaster” but says he’s doing all he can to fix it.
Residents said they are fed up with politicians talking. “He really did not accept any personal responsibility for this”.
Sources in the legislature confirm to FOX 17 political report Josh Sidorowicz that Snyder will ask lawmakers tonight to take action in approving a $20 million financial assistance package for Flint.
On Friday, Berry and some friends will gather up all the water they collect, and drive it 600 miles to Flint, they say, in a truck donated by the Shoe City chain.
President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration Saturday that clears the way for federal aid for Flint, Michigan, which is undergoing a drinking water crisis.
In his speech, Snyder committed $28 million more in the short term to pay for more filters, bottled water, school nurses, intervention specialists, testing and monitoring – on top of $10.6 million allocated in the fall.
Several lawsuits have been filed.
The crisis began in 2014 when a state-appointed emergency manager switched Flint from Detroit water to Flint River water to save money.
The Flint River had long had a reputation for nastiness when the state made the switch, and a 2011 study had found that before water from the Flint River could be considered potable, it would need to be treated with an anti-corrosion agent, a measure that would have cost the state about $100 a day.
Others argued he should just resign over his administration’s handling of the crisis.
The governor also talked about the problems within his own government that led to the water poisoning.
But officials remain concerned that damaged pipes could continue to leach lead, which can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children as well as kidney ailments in adults.
“The state of our state is not strong when residents are being poisoned by their tap water”, House Minority Leader Tim Greimel said.
The Detroit Free Press reported earlier this month that Flint residents are still being billed and facing water shut-offs for drinking water that the state now deems to have been unsafe to drink without a filter since April 2014, when the city began drawing its water from the Flint River. In the last few days, it has drawn attention in the White House and prompted accusations that the state has ignored a health risk in a largely black city.
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Raising the issue unprompted during Sunday evening’s Democratic presidential debate, Clinton took responsibility for spurring action in the state’s leadership.
