Flint placed under a boil-water advisory

Earlier on Tuesday, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said the city would replace all residents’ pipes and was counting on state and federal help to foot the estimated $55 million bill.

The mayor also says the company who will work the project has successfully removed more than 13,000 contaminated pipes from its city in the last 12 years.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, declined to testify about what led to the crisis before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Wednesday, citing plans to stay home and propose an additional $195 million in state funding to address the crisis.

“We have to get new pipes and I can not imagine that he would not support this plan because if he doesn’t, shame on him”, Weaver said.

A special counsel appointed to investigate the lead contamination of Flint’s water says the harshest criminal charge could include involuntary manslaughter.

State environmental and health officials said Wednesday that are boosting the level of data collected as well as the services offered to Flint residents affected by lead-tainted drinking water. While key facts are undisputed – the untreated river water caused lead to leach from old pipes – these cases still are no slam-dunk for lawyers specializing in personal injury.

Lead exposure can have devastating impacts on young children by irreversibly harming brain development.

Schuette said Tuesday that Michigan’s public-records law should be expanded to include the governor’s office because of the Flint disaster.

“There are some distinct differences between Flint and Washington D.C.”, said McDaniel. Rodriguez did drink the Flint water supply during the first trimester of her pregnancy but stopped when she found out the water was contaminated.

At a press conference in Flint this morning, Weaver said the city has been emotionally traumatized and that they have to replace the pipes to restore trust in the city. Although the state helped Flint switch back to the Detroit system in October 2015, the danger remains because of potential damage the corrosive water did to the water distribution system.

The proposed appropriation comes on top of $37 million in emergency funding from supplemental budget actions.

The FBI says it will join the ongoing investigation into the toxic water in Flint, Michigan.

When asked about the cost or the length of the investigation, attorney general Schuette said he did not have any concrete details, but he did emphasize that the investigation will go “wherever it takes us”.

Senate Democrats still want guaranteed federal funding for Flint, and have pledged to pursue an actual deal instead of settling for show votes on amendments.

Replacing Flint’s entire water distribution network, if necessary, could cost $712.8 million and take up to 15 years to complete, according to emails Snyder released last month. This possibility increased on Monday when the Board of State Canvassers unanimously approved the circulation of a petition seeking Snyder to be recalled.

Snyder, who critics have called on to step down, has repeatedly apologized for the state’s poor handling of the crisis.