Flint Update

With the $30 million supplemental passing late last week providing some financial relief for the citizens of Flint, more action on the crisis in Flint continues.

Governor Rick Snyder previously released all emails he personally sent or received regarding Flint in 2014 and 2015, but has decided to release emails from 2011-2013 as well as emails sent or received by his staff. No timeline on the release has been set. In the meantime, the Governor and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver continue to disagree about the pipeline replacement in the city. According to the Governor, digitizing the records at University of Michigan will ideally overlay and support work that has already been completed; if discrepancies are found anywhere, it shows there is more work to be done to find the proper solution for the pipelines.

Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint) wrote a letter spelling out several questions to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) last year in response to the crisis, and the OAG has released its responses. The answers to the Senator’s questions prove more legislative action is necessary, according to Mr. Ananich. The letter supports the Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to drop the two samples of highest lead content in it’s six month sample, and how the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance ensures the data it receives is accurate, among other findings.

Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin Cotter (R-Mount Pleasant) and Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive) announced the Joint Committee on the Flint Public Health Emergency, which will take testimony on missteps from all levels of government regarding the crisis. The committee is chaired by Senator Jim Stamas (R-Midland) with Representative Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) and Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich serving as co-vice chairs. Representative Edward Canfield (R-Sebewaing), Representative Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Senator Joe Hune (R-Whitmore Lake) will also serve on the committee. The committee has been referred to as an oversight committee, despite objections from Senator Ananich, the sole Flint representative member.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, February 26, 2016 10:37 AM
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