Spend more on infrastructure, Congress told

“The clear message from this is the disinvestment in the public health infrastructure has consequences,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services and leader of the federal response to Flint.

The hearing was the first on the lead-contaminated water by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is headed by Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton.

In April 2014, a state emergency manager appointed by Michigan Gov. Rick 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 into homes to corrode. Lead leached off the pipes and into the drinking water throughout the city.

The state and the federal government have declared a state of emergency, and Flint residents are not able to drink the water coming out of their taps.

A state report from last month put the blame for the crisis on state regulators at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

On Wednesday, Joel Beauvais, deputy assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water, said many water systems around the country are like Flint’s: aging, underfunded and in low-income communities.

“The situation in Flint highlights the need for broader national action to address our water infrastructure,” he said.

Mae Wu, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Health Program, said Flint’s situation is unique but it is not surprising. The lack of investment in the country’s water infrastructure over the last 20 years was bound to lead to such scenarios, she said.

“Flint reminds us that pennywise, pound-foolish decisions to save money can yield huge costs to public health, enormous economic costs and a corrosive impact on public trust of government,” Wu said.

Many lawmakers were receptive to the idea of investing more in water and public health infrastructure.

Upton said lawmakers must focus on what’s best for the children of Flint.

“The focus needs to be on the folks that were impacted, especially the kids, and what we can do to make sure this never happens again to anybody,” he said.

Democrats on the committee were especially receptive to the idea that austerity measures in Michigan were the biggest cause of the lead water crisis.

New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the committee, said “millions, if not billions” need to be invested in Flint solely to bring the city back from the crisis. He added that not funding water infrastructure improvements or public health services bring “devastating” consequences.

“We must act now to make sure other Americans do not suffer these same problems,” he said.

New York Rep. Paul Tonko said the government has been pennywise and pound-foolish by reacting to infrastructure crises as opposed to working proactively to prevent them.

An engineer by trade, Tonko said it’s possible to save 10 times the amount of money spent on fixing an infrastructure problem by simply working proactively.

“I hear a lot of avoided costs that are regrettably part of the system because of austere spending,” he said.

However, some Republicans on the committee cautioned spending too much on fixing Flint at the expense of other needs.

Rep. John Shikmus, R-Ill., said there is a limited amount of money that can be spent on infrastructure projects. While Flint is certainly an important concern, he said it cannot overshadow other problems.

“We need to prioritize the public health benefits we are addressing and getting,” he said. “We want appropriate attention placed on this issue, but not at the expense of addressing other pressing public issues.”