Governor says undeterred by critics on Flint

Progressive Michigan argued government officials – namely, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder – were protecting their own employees before looking out for Flint’s citizens.

Caleb Buhs, a spokesman for the agency that manages state buildings, told the Associated Press that the watercoolers were introduced at the state building after Flint failed drinking water tests that had nothing to do with the lead issues that residents now face.

Snyder’s spokesman Dave Murray said Friday the water coolers placed near public drinking fountains on each floor were for both employees and visitors.

Michigan DEQ has taken the brunt of the blame for high levels of lead tested in residents’ tap water in Flint for not requiring corrosion control when the city switched to the Flint River as its source of water in April 2014 as a cost-cutting move.

It wasn’t until October that state officials admitted there was a problem with lead in the city’s water supply.

The governor called the bill he signed Friday, which his state’s legislature passed unanimously one day earlier, “a step moving toward solving the Flint issue”.

The city said customers should have their water tested, and residents at locations affected by the water crisis should be using filters and bottled water. After Progress Michigan published the e-mails, Governor Rick Snyder insisted, “I had no knowledge of that taking place” – but certainly someone did. He’s scheduled to sign a $28 million emergency funding package – money that will help Flint with it’s lead-contaminated water crisis.

The state spending bill includes $500,000 for outside experts to study the integrity of the water system infrastructure. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Thankfully, environmental and civil rights groups are working to help Flint residents and they have even filed a lawsuit on residents’ behalf, but the people of Flint can’t wait through a legal battle for the help that they desperately need now.

The money approved Thursday will pay for developmental assessments of children age 3 and younger, additional school nurses, lead and blood testing, plumbing fixture replacements and other costs.

In a state with working government, Flint’s children wouldn’t need to rely on the kindness of strangers and movie stars for clean drinking water.

Officials stressed that pregnant women and children under 6 at the sites with the elevated lead levels should only drink and prepare food with bottled water. The corrosive water lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes – and there has since been much discussion about who should be held accountable.

A congressional staffer close to the process, speaking on background so as to be able to comment freely, said Democrats have requested that Snyder be called to appear. “Governor Snyder needs to explain to the people of Flint why his administration trucked water into a state building while allowing residents to drink unsafe water”.