Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, also weighed in on the crisis last month, pointing his finger at the Flint’s local elected officials, which he characterized as “one-party government control of far-left Democrats”.
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The amendment, sponsored by Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a representative and resident of Flint, is the first piece of legislation to address the ongoing Flint water crisis and to prevent similar crises from occurring.
The advisory was made amid a much larger water crisis, involving lead contamination that has afflicted the city since April 2014, when Flint switched its water source from Detroit to the much closer Flint River as a cost-saving measure. Metro Detroit and Flint churches are working together to deliver cases of water after river water was not treated properly and lead from pipes leached into Flint homes.
An Odenton church is accepting donations of bottled water to assist those affected by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Averill also told CBS Detroit they’ve had very few dogs test positive for lead toxicity in the Flint area, but urges all pet owners to only feed their animals the same water they’re drinking. The bill would help Flint fix and replace lead-contaminated pipes and provide health and educational support for children poisoned by lead-contaminated water.
The team has stated that their first goal will be providing the people of Flint with restitution for the poisoning, and that they are not only looking to city coffers to get it. The budget also calls for $25 million in infrastructure spending in Flint.
The EPA says it urged the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to “do the right thing” and notify the people of Flint about the water problem. Though Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder declined an invitation to appear at the hearing, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver provided testimony.
“I am upset that the governor’s not here”, said Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings, a member of the government oversight committee. “In the state, it’s the reluctance of the governor to answer this crisis with the gravity of the crisis itself”.
While boil-water notices are not that uncommon, for the citizens of Flint, it is just another in a long line of cruel and unending jokes.
Snyder’s plan would direct $195 million more toward the Flint emergency and $165 million for statewide infrastructure needs, at least a portion of which could replace lead and copper water lines elsewhere. “If the community or states fail to notify the public, EPA will step in and do so”. In this obtained email, MLive says Henry explained to Valacak that MDEQ claimed the governor had ordered them to delay the release.
One petition seeking to remove Snyder from his office declared a state of emergency in Genesee County and Flint was rejected because “Genesee” was misspelled as “Genesse”.
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“Fear, frustration and anger are beginning to consume residents”, Weaver said.
