The governor, who initially declined to testify, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee the Flint water scandal is “a failure of government at all levels”. – Under questioning, Gov. Rick Snyder admitted that the emergency system failed in the Flint water crisis.
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Despite the complaints, officials made public assurances that the water met federal safety guidelines put into place and monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Michigan now has the wherewithal to support projected additional costs and maintain the current rating, but if costs related to the Flint water crisis or distressed local credits escalate, there could be credit pressure”, Spain said. “And you need to resign, too, Gov. Snyder”.
Lead levels have become a renewed concern across the country since Flint, Michigan, switched its water source to the corrosive water from the Flint River that leached water from lead pipes, poisoning thousands of children.
“This is a failure of a philosophy of governance that you advocate”, said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
After publicity about the contaminated water, MI officials in October came up with $6 million of a $12 million tab to switch Flint’s water source back to Lake Huron.
“Snyder said. “…I have accepted responsibility because those people work for me, but it’s something different to have this continuing dialogue to say this was exclusively us.” he said.
Lead began flowing into Flint’s drinking water two years ago, when the city stopped relying on supplies from Detroit and turned to the Flint River to save money.
As CNSNews.com reported, Del Toral also explained that the practice of pre-flushing prevented samples from accurately reflecting the level of lead in the water.
Republicans at the hearing had their own target, in EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
McCarthy said the agency “took action from that point forward”, adding it shouldn’t have been “so trusting of the state”. Dennis Muchmore, Snyder’s former chief of staff, wrote emails in July 2015 warning that Flint residents who had complained about the smell, taste and appearance of the water were “getting blown off” by state officials.
More information about the Duckworth-Quigley drinking water improvement proposal is available here.
Governor Snyder talked about what the state is doing now to help those affected, from infrastructure to health care. She and other officials who oversaw the change to the Flint River testified before the Oversight Committee on Tuesday (E&ENews PM, March 15).
Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Georgia, asked McCarthy, “Would common sense have told you to say, ‘Hey stop drinking the water?'”
First deemed a crisis contained to a poverty-stricken MI town, now USA Today reports that some 6 million Americans have drinking water tainted with higher levels of lead than allowed by US federal guidelines.
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“We were strong-armed. We were misled”, she said. An EPA lead expert in Chicago, Miguel Del Toral, in February 2015 warned about potential problems in Flint but the agency never released a final version of the scientist’s report. If water is found to have excessive lead in more than 10 percent of taps, providers “must undertake a number of additional actions to control corrosion” and “inform the public about steps they should take to protect their health and may have to replace lead service lines under their control”.
