The EPA’s comments come as it is poised to face greater public scrutiny in a hearing before Congress Wednesday morning, over its administration of the Safe Drinking Water Act in Flint, Michigan. However, Snyder’s press secretary said the governor “takes the well-being of all of MI residents very seriously, and Flint residents are not an exception to that”.
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Federal prosecutors in MI were working with an investigative team that included the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General, and the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit said.
Schuette announced the inquiry more than four months after Virginia Tech’s Edwards said the Flint River was leaching lead from pipes into people’s homes because the water was not treated for corrosion, after declining to investigate earlier. Officials have said the decision to start drawing drinking water from the river in 2014 resulted in lead contamination.
The disclosure of the FBI’s involvement in the investigation comes as the U.S. House Oversight Committee prepares to hold its first hearing on the issue Wednesday, amid reports that former Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley will decline to testify.
Since news proliferated of risky lead contamination in Flint’s water, the Guardian revealed that numerous U.S. cities and states, including Philadelphia, Detroit and Rhode Island, advise residents to run their faucets for several minutes the night before taking a sample of water for lead tests.
The tap water in Flint, population 99,000, became contaminated after the city switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River while a pipeline to Lake Huron is under construction.
Among the plaintiffs are Beatrice Boler, a married mother of two from Flint whose family received contaminated water, and Pastor Edwin Anderson and Mrs. Alline Anderson, home owners in Flint who also received contaminated water.
FBI spokeswoman Jill Washburn told the AP in an email that the agency is “investigating the matter to determine if there have been any federal violations”.
On Tuesday, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver told reporters she wants lead pipes removed from the city’s water distribution system as soon as possible.
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder requested emergency and disaster declarations late Thursday, saying needs “far exceed the state’s capability”, and added that emergency measures could cost $41 million.
In Washington, senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, Democrats from MI, pushed for $600 million in aid, mostly in federal funds, to help Flint replace pipes and provide health care.
Not only is the crisis in Flint, Michigan, ongoing, the investigation into this catastrophe appears to be expanding.
Flint’s public works director, Michigan’s top environmental regulator, a state spokesman and a high-ranking federal regulator have resigned in connection with the crisis.
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Earley was previously invited to testify – but refused.
