While Flint Was Being Poisoned, State Workers “Quietly” Provided Water Coolers

The Board of State Canvassers on Thursday rejected petitions to recall Snyder over his handling of Flint’s lead-contaminated water.

Specifically, the note said it was providing coolers of purified water to employees of the state office building in Flint in order to provide them with an option.

In an email a “Flint Water Advisory” was sent out by the facilities department stating that there had been violations in Flint’s drinking water standards.

“Sadly, the only response was to protect the Snyder administration from future liability and not to protect the children of Flint from lead poisoning”.

Along with state workers, the building also serves Department of Human Services clients, and some of those clients might be among those told to avoid the water.

“Flint deserves answers from the state on how this bad water crisis happened and what is being done to make it right”, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) in a statement.

The allocation of the money – but not the amount – changed a bit from the House-passed version of the bill because of the huge amount of bottled water donated to the city from all over the country.

Democratic U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of MI on Thursday proposed up to $400 million in emergency federal funding to replace and fix lead-contaminated pipes in Flint.

When asked about the water deliveries on Friday, Michigan’s Republican Gov. Rick Snyder told AP that he “had no knowledge of that taking place”. And as those lines age, or if the water running through them is improperly treated, drinking water can become hazardous.

Flint switched from Detroit’s water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014, while under state financial management.

It’s the second round of state aid for the city since the crisis was confirmed in the fall, bringing the total allocated to almost $39 million.

The hearing is expected to focus on the inaction by MI and federal officials, who for months didn’t alert Flint residents to the health risks caused by lead leaching into the water supply.

Emails released by a liberal group critical of Snyder show the state was sending bottled water a year ago to state employees in Flint.

In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy on Friday, Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, cited a Detroit News article for raising “serious questions about the Environmental Protection Agency’s performance with respect to alerting the public about a health crisis related to the Flint, Michigan water supply”.

The largest allotment – $4.6 million – is for bottled water, filters and replacement cartridges being distributed to residents in the city of almost 100,000 people. Moore also said that Flint residents who wanted to leave should be relocated and that those who wanted to stay should be provided clean water from Lake Huron by the federal government.