Flint’s Mayor Karen Weaver has asked for $55 million to begin replacing about 8,000 lead service lines that she believes exist in Flint. “We’ve had a city in the United States of America where the population, which is poor in many ways and majority African-American, has been drinking and bathing in lead-contaminated water….” “It’s fantastic they picked me”.
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Snyder eventually agreed about six months later to help Flint reconnect to a Detroit-area system after doctors found high levels of lead in Flint children.
Retired National Guard Brigadier General Michael McDaniel is in charge of the program.
Despite testing that shows that water lead levels have dropped in many Flint homes, there are still more than 600 homes where the water tested well above the EPA’s action level for lead. “But here we are”.
While Flint is just starting to remove old pipes, the Lansing BWL has replaced almost 14,000 of them over the last 12 years. “The way the Democrats have tried to turn this into a partisan issue, that somehow Republicans woke up in the morning and decided, ‘Oh, it’s a good idea to poison some kids with lead.’ It’s absurd”. The bill also allocates an additional $100 million in relief for Flint specifically, and $100 million for water infrastructure projects across the country, including potentially Flint.
Mike Lee, a Republican, said in a statement Friday.
“What’s really happening here is that Washington politicians are using the crisis in Flint as an excuse to funnel taxpayer money to their own home states, and trying to sneak it through the Senate without proper debate and amendment”, he said.
The Legislature has approved $37 million so far, and Snyder has apologized for his administration’s failure to heed community concerns when alarms were raised about bad tasting water and a host of health problems.
The loan deal said Flint could not enter an agreement with its former water supplier without approval from the state treasurer.
CNN International and CNN en Español will also simulcast the debate.
Republican presidential candidates addressed the Flint crisis for no more than “one fleeting second” at a debate in Detroit Thursday night, Pelosi said. State leaders are anxious to hear what Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have to say.
Weaver, a Democrat, said the differences between the candidates’ responses to the crisis have been telling.
Schwartz is not alone in wondering about her water quality. Clinton has visited as has her daughter, Chelsea, and she has has referenced Flint routinely for two months as an example of failed Republican leadership. They have opened campaign offices there and aired TV ads about the problems. “It’s absurd. It’s outrageous”. “This is not about Congress giving speeches, it’s about us listening to the people”. “It’s outrageous. It isn’t true”, Rubio said to applause.
Weaver said earlier that she expected the work to be completed within a year. “For them to be in MI, they should at least have talked about this issue a little bit more”.
Richardson’s corner drew neighbors and local onlookers, too.
Five months, and residents still can’t drink what comes out of their taps.
Dalessandro says the water she delivers is often picked up as soon as it’s on the ground.
As a state lawmaker, Bernero urged Flint to build lead pipe replacement into its budget.
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“I’m ecstatic”, Eubanks said. “But I’ve never had anything tested”.
