Michigan Governor Devotes Speech to Water Crisis

“This is an embarrassment to the city of Flint, first of all, and an embarrassment to our government and to our residents”, Hornaday said Tuesday night after Snyder’s State of the State speech.

Snyder insisted the people responsible for the crisis will be held responsible.

Complaints about the water began within a month of the switch away from a Detroit-run water system, but the city did not go back until October 2015 when tests showed elevated levels of lead in tap water and in some children. He says the state’s $575 million budget surplus is a good start.

The scandal over the water in Flint has engulfed Mr. Snyder in a firestorm that has reverberated far beyond the state’s borders.

A sign points the ay for Flint residents to get bottled water, water testing kits, and water filters at a Flint Fire Station January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan.

6 News Capitol Correspondent Tim Skubick tells us the governor hopes to build more trust during his State of the State address and one step he’s taking involves his email account.

A local business is helping you help the people of Flint, Michigan.

It’s too little, too late, say some.

The rally was organized by Progress Michigan and drew activists from around the state.

The city of Flint switched its source of supply from Lake Huron water, treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to more corrosive and polluted Flint River water, treated at the Flint water treatment plant.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, has apologized for the state’s handling of the crisis amid growing calls in the last week for him to resign.

President Barack Obama met on Tuesday with recently elected Flint Mayor Karen Weaver over the crisis, which has become part of the USA presidential debate with candidates on both sides questioning the slow response.

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.

Rick Snyder began his second term as MI governor promoting the same achievements that propelled him to victory in 2014: The state was in the midst of an economic comeback, and Detroit had emerged from bankruptcy. The protestors were complaining about how long it took for the state to take action despite repeated complaints from residents and businesses about problems with water drawn from the Flint River.

“We get a lot of backlash about how bad Baltimore is or how we kill each other but we’ve got some good things going on in our city as well”, Berry said. A class-action lawsuit filed past year alleges the state Department of Environmental Quality didn’t treat the water for corrosion, in accordance with federal law, and because so many service lines in Flint are made of lead, the noxious element leached into the water of the city’s homes.