For over 18 months, the people of Flint, Michigan, complained that their water was contaminated, but their voices fell on deaf ears.
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President Barack Obama said during a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting Thursday that about $80 million in federal funding would be sent to MI next week – part of a nationwide investment in water system upgrades. The federal government denied a request for more aid through a disaster declaration, saying the program is designed for natural disasters and not appropriate for the city’s drinking water crisis.
During the rest of the interview, Bush blamed too much government for the crisis, saying it had led to a situation in which no one had taken responsibility for the unsafe water.
The pop superstar has been a leading celebrity voice in the fight to get supplies to local residents, who have not had clean running water ever since 2014, when officials chose to draw from the dirty Flint River, which has tested positive for lead poisoning. But in the response required by Friday, he added, “the state has complied with every recent demand” of the EPA.
Creagh wrote that state officials don’t know whether it’s legal for the EPA to order MI to take such actions.
Although the city switched back to Detroit water, the water is still not safe to drink while officials wait for corrosion control chemicals to rebuild protection on pipes.
Weaver, who was elected in November to lead the city that is in receivership, can now hire and fire the city administrator and department heads for Flint under recommendations approved by Michigan Treasurer Nick Khouri.
What is environmental racism, and what does it have to do with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan?
Bush went on to say Snyder has been “a great governor for MI”, according to the transcript.
The workers have been suspended pending an investigation, in accordance with civil service rules.
Snyder reportedly also is hiring public relations specialists to help him deal with the Flint water crisis.
Last week, US civil rights activists descended on Flint, a largely African-American city where 40 percent of the community’s 100,000 residents live in poverty.
State water regulators failed to make sure corrosive water from the Flint River was treated to prevent leaching from lead pipes.
“It is horrific and it is related to the fact that we’ve created this complex, no-responsibility regulatory system, where the federal government, the state government, a regional government, local and county governments are all pointing fingers at one another”, Bush said.
Ahmirah Porter, 9, stands silently behind a sign that reads “I’ve been poisoned by policy”, as she joins more than 150 activists protest outside of City Hall to protest Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s handling of the water crisis Friday, Jan. 8, 2016 in Flint.
“It is important when we think about a public health perspective that we consider the whole cohort… exposed to the drinking water, especially 6 years and under since April 2014, as exposed, regardless of what their blood level is on January 11”.
“We’ll move as quickly as possible to determine the best way to achieve the results”, Snyder said in a statement.
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Some say Snyder’s apology during his State of the State address on Tuesday showed genuine regret and a willingness to address the issue.
