Dr Edwards previously told The Independent that authorities knew about this crisis at least a year ago.
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Weaver spoke after an informational hearing Wednesday on Flint led by Democratic lawmakers.
Michigan Governor Dan Snyder was invited to attend the hearing as well, but he was nowhere to be found on Capitol Hill.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Al Pscholka, a Stevensville Republican, said he was happy to see a more intermediate- to long-term plan for Flint beyond the “stopgap” measures previously approved unanimously by the GOP-controlled Legislature. Regulators failed to ensure the water was treated and lead from aging pipes leached into the water supply, contributing to a spike in child lead exposure.
The emails, which are from October and November 2015 and were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, include correspondence by Jim Henry, Genesee County’s environmental health supervisor, to county Health Officer Mark Valacak, and correspondence between Henry and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Laboratory Director George Krisztian. She sought a legal opinion on whether the EPA could force action by the state, but that opinion wasn’t completed until November – after the state had acknowledged the lead contamination and switched Flint back to Lake Huron water.
Todd Flood, who was appointed as special counsel by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month because Schuette’s office is defending the state in civil lawsuits, said manslaughter charges could be on the table if government officials were grossly negligent in their handling of the city’s water change and the aftermath.
The governor’s office responded to the reporting by stating that it “unequivocally denies [the] allegations” that it withheld information. They say the data should help determine when and where the corrosion control treatment has been effective. “Drink the water, Rick!”, they shouted, and: “Fix the pipes!”
Snyder proposed a minimum $60 per pupil increase, from $8,169 to $8,229, for districts that get the basic level of funding and a maximum $120 boost for districts receiving the minimum allowance, from $7,391 to $7,511.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver also said this week that $55 million of the funds would be used for a “fast start” plan to replace lead pipes in Flint, which are responsible for contaminating the water supply. But Democrats said help was not coming fast enough. “We’ve had money for water-immediate water needs, emergency response stuff, some money for infrastructure”, said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha.
The EPA did not notify the public for months after learning that MI officials were not treating Flint’s water. “And many of those officials did not even seem to be effectively communicating and sharing data among themselves”. The river already had sufficient levels of phosphates to nourish bacteria and adding more would have had no effect on them, he said.
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He further said that he is taking responsibility for the actions of people in the state government, and on Wednesday announced a multi-million investment into fixing Flint’s water woes.
