– Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will head to Flint on Thursday afternoon to meet with residents to discuss the water crisis and other concerns.
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Senators came closer to a deal to issue federal aid to Flint, Michigan to help it deal with a crisis over lead-tainted drinking water, a congressional aide said on Wednesday.
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., hammered out the deal.
Under the deal, Flint would also have access to $70 million in a credit subsidy under a federal program called the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority, or WIFIA. It is being introduced both as a standalone bill and as an amendment to comprehensive energy legislation already under consideration in the Senate. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems. Under the tentative agreement, the Senate would vote on the energy bill before taking up the Flint legislation as a separate bill.
The proposal also includes provisions requiring EPA to notify the public after 15 days if sufficiently high lead levels are detected and a state does not do so. The legislation also would speed federal approval of projects to export liquefied natural gas to Europe and Asia and boost energy efficiency.
Flint’s mayor plans to use that estimate to replace the lead service lines leading from city water mains in the street to homes, even as Snyder’s administration plans to use estimates from a Flint-based engineering firm.
The proposal requires that before receiving any of the $100 million funds through the Drinking Water revolving fund, a potential recipient must provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a detailed report on how the funding would be used and it must be approved by the EPA before financing is obligated.
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