Flint Water Crisis: 2 Department of Environmental Quality Workers Suspended

The state’s No. 1 priority, however, must be helping the people of Flint.

The city was re-connected to the Detroit’s water system on October 16. He wrote that the city “stands on the precipice of civil unrest” because of mistrust of the water supply, and asked the state of MI to forgive a $21 million debt Flint owed to a state fund for improving water safety.

So, he explained, “we’re not able to avoid the subject”.

The federal government is investing more money this year to help local governments improve their water systems, and about $80 million will go to MI next week, President Barack Obama told the nation’s mayors Thursday, as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Critics say emergency managers ignore the concerns of the local communities and that this played a role in Flint’s water fiasco, since residents had been complaining about the water’s taste and color.

Separately, Snyder announced the suspensions of two employees of the state Department of Environmental Quality in connection with regulatory failures that led to the crisis.

The Oscar-nominated actor is not the first to call for Snyder to resign amid the water crisis. The rest of the administration is subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Flint’s drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 while the city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager.

It has also emerged that the water was improperly treated and lacked cheap corrosion controls that could have prevented lead levels in the water from skyrocketing. And he’s sympathized with the residents who have been exposed to risky levels of lead by their government. MI law states that parents are neglectful if they do not have running water in their home, and if they chose not to pay for water they can’t drink anyway, then they could be guilty of child endangerment.

Shortly before Snyder’s announcement, the MI state treasurer said Mayor Weaver, who was elected in November to lead the city that is in receivership, can now hire and fire the city administrator and department heads.

The task force chairman, Ken Sikkema, said in a separate message that the finding was “critical and urgent” and could not be delayed until the group completed its report.

The agency’s director and communications director resigned last month. Instead, Obama declared an emergency rather than a disaster, qualifying the city for $5 million. Snyder has also “focused on improving education in all our cities, knowing that students need to not just graduate, but graduate with in-demand skills as they compete in a global economy”.

Siddhartha Roy, a doctoral student in engineering at Virginia Tech who has been involved in documenting Flint’s water crisis, said economics will be a big factor in how quickly Flint replaces its pipes.

His staff issued a statement to AP that cited his efforts in urban areas such as Detroit, which also has a large black population. The corrosive water running through Flint’s aging lead pipes caused the metal to leach into the city’s tap water. Fellow candidate Bernie Sanders echoed similar sentiments. The National Guard assisted with destruction of bottled water and water filters, according to USA Today.

Flint, a city about 75 miles north of Detroit, is the birthplace of General Motors and once had 200,000 residents. The measure moves to the Senate for expected action next week. “Within two hours, he made that request”.