MI governor seeks $28M for Flint water crisis

The White House said Tuesday it was tasking Nicole Lurie, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health Human Services, with coordinating federal response to the Flint crisis.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it acted too slowly to address the situation in Flint, but also laid blame on local and state officials.

Obama approved an emergency designation for Genesee County and Flint over the weekend, though that does not free up as much in federal financial resources as the major disaster declaration Snyder asked for. “I will take the lost decade anytime versus lost or contaminated lives”, he said of Snyder.

But the water in the new system was not treated properly, and so lead leached into it from the old pipes.

“You deserve the know the truth, and I have a responsibility to tell the truth – the truth about what we’ve done and the truth about what we’ll do to overcome this challenge”.

The second-term Republican, who devoted most of his annual State of the State speech Tuesday night to the emergency in Flint, also pledged greater transparency.

An unelected emergency manager, appointed by the governor, was behind the money-saving change in 2014 that allowed polluted water from the Flint River to flow into residents’ taps for 18 months.

Snyder’s address was dominated by the Flint water crisis, which has come under national and global attention in recent weeks.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver refused to call for Snyder’s resignation while at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., saying investigations should go forward. President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency for the city on Saturday.

The crisis, which has resulted in elevated levels of lead in local children, and might have been responsible for killing 10 people with Legionnaire’s Disease, has put the governor and other high-ranking officials in his administration under heavy fire for being unresponsive to – and perhaps responsible for – the town’s plight.

Snyder said on Tuesday that he is asking for $28 million in additional funds to pay for bottled water, filters, improvements to utilities, nurse visits, testing for kids, treatment services, health care access, studies on infrastructure, and more. You deserve to know that the buck stops here with me.

Despite their opinion of the plan, many lawmakers agree they’re willing to spend what it takes to help thousands exposed to lead in Flint’s water.

“I want Governor Snyder to solve the problem and basically get up out of office”, long-time Flint resident Tomeko Hornaday told CNN, echoing the sentiments of many.

“For those who think $28 million will begin to remedy the Flint water crisis, that is a fraction of the money city residents have paid for poisoned water that they can not drink”, Kildee said in a Tuesday statement.

Snyder also called on anyone who wants to help Flint to go to the HelpForFlint.com website.

“Water is a basic right, so it’s a social issue”, Weaver said.

Raising the issue unprompted during Sunday evening’s Democratic presidential debate, Clinton took responsibility for spurring action in the state’s leadership.

His staff announced Tuesday that Obama will not be visiting Flint.