Senators reached a deal Wednesday to send federal money to Flint, Mich., to help the city deal with its lead-contaminated water.
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., co-wrote a measure that will be a standalone piece of legislation attached to a House-passed bill dealing with Flint. Previously, discussions about sending federal aid to Flint stalled the otherwise bipartisan Energy Modernization Act.
The deal would make $100 million available to any state experiencing a drinking water emergency, provide $70 million to back secured loans to upgrade clean water and drinking infrastructure and authorize $50 million in funding for health programs to address and prevent the effects of lead exposure.
The bill would use $250 million from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program to pay for the funding.
“Using these existing, authorized programs is the fiscally responsible thing to do not only for Flint but also for the entire nation facing a water infrastructure crisis,” the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairman said.
“These programs provide low-interest loans to the states, local governments and other water suppliers to help address critical water infrastructure needs, and when the loan is paid back, more communities can receive funding.”
Flint residents currently can’t drink water from the city’s water supply because it is tainted with lead. Water from the Flint River is so acidic that it is causing lead to leach off the pipes and into drinking water.
The city switched water sources in April 2014, and a state of emergency was declared by the state in January. The Michigan Legislature has approved $70 million in funding for the city.
Inhofe used the crisis in Flint to take shots at President Obama’s climate change agenda, saying the president has failed to invest in infrastructure and allowed the Flint water crisis to happen. He said the deal is not just about Flint but about the whole country.
“Just as we successfully showed in the recent highway bill, Congress can and should take necessary action to support the critical infrastructure that keeps Americans safe and makes way for new economic opportunity for our nation,” he said.
The deal likely will be attached to a House-passed bill that would require the Environmental Protection Agency to notify the public when it detects unsafe levels of lead in drinking water.
The EPA has been heavily criticized because an agency researcher found evidence of lead-tainted water in February 2015 and his superiors at the agency silenced him. The EPA never went public with the information and instead deferred to the state of Michigan’s environmental department.
