The Republican governor, who has come under fire for the health crisis in Flint due to unsafe drinking water and for the financial crisis at DPS under emergency managers he appointed, told lawmakers that resources to address the problems are available due to the state’s improving economy.
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“It is unclear why he is being paid as he avoids responsibility to the people he is supposed to serve”, Cummings wrote in a scathing op-ed in the Detroit newspaper.
Chelsea Clinton weaved her way around the maze of hallways at Hurley Children’s Center on the top floor at the Flint Farmers’ Market Thursday afternoon as Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha stood alongside, answering questions about the impacts of lead in children.
“Actually, I’m doing time with Flint residents too”, Snyder said. But it wasn’t until October 16 that EPA established a task force to provide technical help – the day Flint switched back to the Detroit water system.
Emails show that government officials knew about problems with Flint’s water even while they publicly encouraged people to keep drinking from the tap.
Governor Rick Snyder, meanwhile, declined an invitation to attend the hearing despite an invite from congressman Dan Kildee, Flint’s House representative.
Gov. Rick Snyder never ordered a state agency to withhold information about lead testing in Flint schools, but instead quickly announced the results of water tests in 13 school buildings at a press conference in the city on October 8.
The School District of Beloit is asking the community to take part in a water collection drive for residents in Flint, Michigan.
Many have been angry with the governor for not spending time with the victims of the crisis.
It’s unclear exactly where the water replacement will begin in the city, but retired National Guard Brig.
A Virginia Tech expert who first raised public concerns about lead in Flint’s water is dismissing a city official’s email suggesting that anti-corrosive phosphates weren’t added to the Flint River because of worries that the chemicals would promote bacterial growth.
“That was absolutely inaccurate”, Snyder said. Schools and other places around Flint where people can rely on bottled water will be tackled during the second phase.
But without a comprehensive survey of all the homes in Flint, it is impossible to say how numerous city’s children might have been ultimately exposed. The delay has heaped scrutiny on city, state and federal officials about what they knew and when they knew it. Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, a Democrat who represents Flint, called the 2017 budget Snyder unveiled a step in the right direction.
Authorities will sign a contract this week to start mapping the pipes before replacing them “in a thoughtful fashion”, he said.
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In a September 3 message, former public works director Howard Croft says lead treatments were discussed with state officials and an engineering firm as the city water plant was being readied to treat river water. He says most chemicals used for that are phosphate-based, which can encourage bacteria.
