Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will release two years’ worth of his emails related to the lead-contaminated water in Flint’s drinking supply, he announced Tuesday night.
In his annual State of the State address, Snyder said he would release all his emails from 2014 and 2015 regarding Flint. In Michigan, the governor and the Michigan Legislature are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Seemingly on the verge of tears, Snyder apologized to the Flint community and promised to fix the situation.
“I am sorry and I will fix it,” Snyder said.
Snyder promised to dispatch the National Guard to Flint in greater numbers to make sure each home affected by the crisis has access to clean water.
Snyder is asking Michigan lawmakers to approve $28 million in funding to supply more bottled water, treat children with high lead levels and fix some infrastructure. He promised to try and get more state aid to the embattled city.
“When Michiganders turn on the tap, they expect and deserve clean, safe water,” he said. “I give you my commitment that Michigan will not let you down.”
Democratic presidential candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, as well as GOP candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, have slammed Snyder’s reaction to the scandal.
Flint, a city of a little less than 100,000 people in eastern Michigan, is grappling with lead contaminating the city’s drinking water. On Saturday, Obama signed an emergency declaration, freeing up $5 million in federal aid for the city. Snyder is appealing for a major disaster order from the federal government.
In April 2014, Flint switched its water source from the Detroit and Sewer Department, which draws water from Lake Huron, to a local agency that also would take water from the lake.
However, the infrastructure needed to get water from Lake Huron to Flint under the new agency was not yet built, so an emergency manager appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder decided to take water from the Flint River as a temporary measure.
The water from the Flint River is so polluted and acidic that the water ate away at the lead pipes bringing water to the city’s homes.
A study by the Hurley Medical Center found the amount of children with too much lead in their systems rose from 2 percent to 4.1 percent after the change in water supply.
The study also reported the share of children who live in the most affected parts of the city with elevated lead levels in their blood increased from 2.5 percent to 6.3 percent. The number of children in Flint under the age of 15 months who tested positive for higher lead levels increased two-and-a-half times after the switch.
High amounts of lead in blood could lead to drops in IQ, increased risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and other negative health effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state Department of Environmental Quality has acknowledged it failed to require the city of Flint to treat the water with a chemical that would have made the water less acidic.
Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency were aware of the problems with the water supply as well, but kept silent and maintained that it was a state issue.
Snyder revealed last week that 87 cases of Legionnaire’s disease were reported since last April in the city. Ten of the people affected by the disease died, he said. The state is investigating if the spike in Legionnaire’s disease could be linked to the switch in water sources.
Local reports show state officials blocked a federal investigation into whether the spike in Legionnaire’s disease was related to the water switch in October 2014.
Legionnaire’s disease is an infection that causes symptoms similar to pneumonia that affects the lungs. Smokers, people older than 50, people with chronic lung illnesses and people with weak immune systems are particularly at risk if they catch the infection.
The Department of Justice and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office are investigating whether any crimes were committed during the aftermath of the change in water sources.
