Snyder taps DNR chief as DEQ director after Flint water crisis

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder apologized in connection with Flint water scandal and one of his top appointees, Dan Wyant resigned as Director of the Department of Environment Quality.

The Flint Advisory Task Force Report, issued a day before the resignations, is a further attempt at damage control by Snyder.

“I would like the Flint community to understand how very sorry I’m in that this has occurred”, Snyder said. “But also it is good because we need to have trust in you know our regulators”. Hune says when initial testing was done there were certainly high lead levels in some of the water samples and the DEQ worked on omitting some of those so others wouldn’t look so bad in comparison.

The financially struggling city of Flint turned off the taps to water from Detroit, which gets its supply from Lake Huron, and switched to water from the Flint River in a money-saving move in 2014.

Doug Ringler, in a letter released Monday by a legislative leader, confirmed federal and state regulators had different interpretations of a rule governing drinking water. “And I want all MI citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an aging infrastructure”, he wrote.

Governor Snyder emphasized that changing the leadership and personnel in the department is not enough to resolve Flint water crisis. He also said the DEQ did not verify that Flint was correctly sampling water from houses only with lead pipes or lead service lines.

The Republican governor has come under scrutiny for the Flint fiasco.

Excessive lead exposure in children and infants can slow development and growth and can cause irritability, learning disabilities, and other symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“I know many Flint citizens are angry and want more than an apology”, Snyder said. It should be noted that Snyder’s Director of Communication Sara Wurfel (wife of the MDEQ’s Brad Wurfel) repeatedly issued statements supporting the MDEQ’s efforts to discredit the research of the Virginia Tech team and Dr. Hanna-Attisha. We’ve already allocated $10 million to test the water, distribute water filters, and help in other ways.

He said he would meet Flint Mayor Karen Weaver to discuss what else the state could do to help. “Together, we should work to affirm that we’re using the very best testing protocols to ensure Flint residents have safe drinking water and that we’re taking steps to protect their health over the short and long term”.