The House lawmaker who represents Flint, Mich., wants his state to pony up money to aid in the city’s lead water crisis because he thinks the policies of Gov. Rick Snyder caused it.
Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee said Thursday morning that Michigan needs to lead the way in providing funding to help Flint recover. The state legislature has approved about $70 million for Flint, but more is needed to replace lead pipes and mitigate the effects of lead consumption.
Kildee said the reason he wants the state to lead in helping in the city is because Snyder’s policies caused the crisis.
“There are consequences to the brand of austerity that Rick Snyder has brought to Michigan and other governors have brought around the country,” Kildee said. “What we see now is austerity undermining environmental protections and harming children as a consequence.”
In April 2014, a state emergency manager appointed by Snyder signed off on a symbolic vote from the Flint City Council to change the city’s water source. The move aimed to cut costs by requiring the city to take its water from the Flint River instead of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department while a new pipeline was built to connect the city to Lake Huron.
The Flint River water, however, was so acidic that it caused the lead pipes bringing water from the city’s cast iron mains to homes to corrode. Lead leached off the pipes and into the drinking water of homes throughout the city. The state has declared a state of emergency and Flint residents are not able to drink the water coming out of their taps.
Kildee had harsh words for the embattled Republican governor.
He pointed to reports from Michigan media in recent days indicating $1.2 million in public tax dollars will be used for legal fees to defend the governor from lawsuits filed over the lead-contaminated water.
Those tax dollars are being used to fix a public health problem caused by Snyder’s policies, Kildee said.
He acknowledged the anger felt in the Flint community and by lawmakers in Lansing and Washington, D.C., and said something has to come from it.
“What I’m asking for is we channel all that anger and all that energy toward finding a solution,” Kildee said.
For many of the last 40 years, Flint has been suffering economically. The water crisis has only added to residents’ woes.
In the eastern Michigan city, many community leaders are casting the crisis as a chance at a fresh start. Kildee said before that fresh start can begin, the state needs to ensure clean water is coming out of the city’s taps.
“Fixing the water is not a small step in terms of rebuilding the economy, it’s the first thing that has to happen,” he said. “The economic potential of a community is really the human potential of a community.”
Snyder’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
