Michigan House approves $30 million for Flint

McCormick said officials in several of the communities the authority serves have been receiving calls from concerned residents fearing the water quality issues in Flint could affect the water supplied to their community.

“I do have some concerns about how fast you do it”, Snyder said during a news conference at Rowe Professional Services, the Flint company retained Tuesday to do the analysis, which will include the replacement of 30 service lines by mid-March. Local and state officials insisted for months the water was safe to drink but reversed course after independent testing discovered unsafe lead levels throughout the system believed to be caused by leaching from lead piping. “The grant can be used to help replace water pipes…”, Snyder said today.

The City Council and chief financial officer will have to take action to complete the grant process, the governor said.

Flint’s drinking water later became contaminated with elevated levels of lead, and now the state is handing out bottled water and water filters to residents.

A MI legislative committee plans to consider spending $30 million to help cover the water bills of Flint residents confronting a lead-contaminated supply.

The lawmakers unanimously OK’d the measure Thursday.

In 2015, a typical household in Flint paid $864.32 a year for the undrinkable water, says the report authored by Food and Water Watch.

Some Democrats are critical, saying the state should pay for more than 65 percent. But such a step needs to be on the table, because lead, as most of us know by now, is a bad-news neurotoxin that can permanently affect brain development and learning.

Snyder says the city still has some things to do before it can get the money. “We’ve been working in partnership to identify the areas that need to be addressed immediately and remove lead pipes, bringing peace of mind to Flint families and make sure this never happens again”. As explanation, Overton, a member of Concerned Pastors for Social Action, pointed to a series of price hikes starting well before the disastrous 2014 decision to switch Flint off water from Lake Michigan in favor of the Flint River. He’s faced criticism and protests, but has said he’s focusing on resolving Flint’s crisis.

The announcement of the increased funding comes the same day as U.S Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell made a visit to Flint in a response to the water crisis.

Demonstrators, including Tuliane Stokes of Lansing, say Snyder should face an investigation and potentially prosecution over his alleged role in the Flint water crisis.