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Michigan Restricted Flint From Switching Water in Loan Deal
Source: Associated Press
Michigan Restricted Flint From Switching Water in Loan Deal
By DAVID EGGERT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LANSING, Mich. — Mar 2, 2016, 2:28 PM ET
The state of Michigan restricted Flint from switching water sources last April unless it got approval from Gov. Rick Snyder's administration under the terms of a $7 million loan needed to help transition the city from state management, according to a document released Wednesday.
By the time the loan agreement was in place, cries about Flint's water quality were growing louder, though it had not yet been discovered that the improperly treated Flint River water was causing lead to leach from aging pipes and put children at risk. Flint's state-appointed emergency manager said at the time that switching back to the water source would cost the city more than $1 million a month and that "water from Detroit is no safer than Flint water." Snyder eventually agreed roughly six months later to help Flint reconnect to a Detroit-area system after doctors reported high levels of lead in kids.
But critics in the Michigan Democratic Party said that the loan document, obtained by the party through a public records request, shows that his administration tied Flint's hands and prevented earlier action. Shortly after, a top Democrat became the first state lawmaker to call for Snyder to resign.
"The Snyder administration effectively put a financial gun to the heads of Flint's families by using the emergency manager law to lock the city into taking water from a poisoned source," party chairman Brandon Dillon said.
House Minority Leader Tim Greimel later added: "Given the actions of negligence and indifference by the governor, and a culture he has created that lacks transparency and accountability, the very serious call for resignation is warranted."
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By DAVID EGGERT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LANSING, Mich. — Mar 2, 2016, 2:28 PM ET
The state of Michigan restricted Flint from switching water sources last April unless it got approval from Gov. Rick Snyder's administration under the terms of a $7 million loan needed to help transition the city from state management, according to a document released Wednesday.
By the time the loan agreement was in place, cries about Flint's water quality were growing louder, though it had not yet been discovered that the improperly treated Flint River water was causing lead to leach from aging pipes and put children at risk. Flint's state-appointed emergency manager said at the time that switching back to the water source would cost the city more than $1 million a month and that "water from Detroit is no safer than Flint water." Snyder eventually agreed roughly six months later to help Flint reconnect to a Detroit-area system after doctors reported high levels of lead in kids.
But critics in the Michigan Democratic Party said that the loan document, obtained by the party through a public records request, shows that his administration tied Flint's hands and prevented earlier action. Shortly after, a top Democrat became the first state lawmaker to call for Snyder to resign.
"The Snyder administration effectively put a financial gun to the heads of Flint's families by using the emergency manager law to lock the city into taking water from a poisoned source," party chairman Brandon Dillon said.
House Minority Leader Tim Greimel later added: "Given the actions of negligence and indifference by the governor, and a culture he has created that lacks transparency and accountability, the very serious call for resignation is warranted."
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/michigan-restricted-flint-switching-water-loan-deal-37336172
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