EPA administrator deflects blame for Mich. water crisis

By Kyle Feldscher

Published March 17, 2016 2:33pm ET

EPA administrator deflects blame for Mich. water crisis — EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to testify before a House Oversight committee hearing to look into the circumstances surrounding high levels of lead found in many residents' tap water in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) | Andrew Harnik

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency claims her agency was basically powerless to deal with the Flint, Mich., lead water crisis due to the state’s failures, prompting the House oversight chairman to say, “You just don’t get it.”

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Thursday that on July 21, 2015, the EPA told the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality that they needed to get a handle on the lead water situation in the city of 100,000 people.