Stamas said decisions are still pending on witnesses to be invited to future hearings, with former Flint emergency managers and Snyder among the possibilities.
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State government is primarily responsible for Flint, Mich.’s lead-contaminated water system.
The state DEQ failed to require the addition of needed corrosion-control chemicals as part of the treatment process, and the corrosive Flint River water ate into pipes, joints and fixtures, sending unsafe levels of lead into Flint homes and businesses.
The Flint Water Advisory Task Force full report is available here. “The task force felt very strongly that not only was Flint a case of environmental injustice, but we need to expand that dialog throughout the state”. It comes from a task force appointed by the governor. Many Flint residents have accused the governor of failing to take their claims seriously. Te 116 page report said the state’s emergency manager law contributed to the poisoning by removing one of the most important governmental checks and balances. After a news conference held by Mayor Karen Weaver in February 2016, the city announced its plans to remove and replace all of the corrosive water service lines-a project estimated to cost $55 million and take up to one year. It also found “cultural shortcomings that prevent it from adequately serving and protecting the public health of MI residents”.
“They missed the boat completely, they never backed off on those decisions, no matter how many red flags they saw”, said Chris Kolb, a member of the Flint Water Crisis task force.
Sikkema, a former state Senate majority leader, joined Stateside to talk about the report and the changes he hopes to see as a result. The task force says the firm did not respond to its written questions.
The Congressman names the continued economic and government services cuts for Flint’s failure to continue to sustain itself.
A culture change for the DEQ, especially the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance, to “refocus the department on its primary mission to protect human health and the environment”.
“EPA could have exercised its powers under Section 1414 and Section 1431 of the SDWA or under the LCR, 40 CFR 141.82(i)”, the task force stated, referring to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Lead and Copper Rule.
Several top MDEQ officials resigned after a preliminary report from the same task force.
The new report arrives as speculation about a possible cover-up is growing in Flint. The Flint Child Health and Development Fund is so important to the local community that Ascension Michigan (Borgess Health – Kalamazoo, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center – Rochester, Genesys Health System – Grand Blanc, St. John Providence – Detroit, St. Mary’s of Michigan – Saginaw, and St. Joseph Hospital – Tawas City) has supported the initiative by donating to this effort. “Who is accountable for the decisions made by the EMs in Flint?” the investigators said.
Three months later, police still don’t know who broke in.
Underlying the crisis in Flint are the many socioeconomic barriers that Flint’s low-income children and families faced long before the tragedy, including a lack of access to quality healthcare and affordable housing.
Johnson stated “It was definitely an inside job”.
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Also suspicious is the fact that no city employees were assigned to the office when it was broken into.
