Senior Democrats are “begging” Republicans for their support in passing an amendment to an energy bill on the Senate floor, which would provide $600 million to Flint, Mich., to fix the lead contamination crisis that is plaguing the city’s water supply.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters that the Democratic caucus is “pleading” and “begging” with GOP colleagues to support the measure in the energy bill.
“Let’s make no mistake … what we are seeing in Flint is a manmade crisis,” Schumer said. The drinking water of thousands of people was contaminated in Flint when a state-appointed emergency manager chose to divert the town’s drinking water from Lake Huron to the contaminated Flint River as the least costly option.
The acidic water from the river ate away the lead lining of pipes used to supply the town with its drinking water. The result was a contaminated water supply that the state refused to fix, even though it caused the problem, Schumer and others said.
“They managed to save a few million, but at what cost,” he asked. “This is happening in the United States, not a third world country … [and] that is disgraceful. We hope we get bipartisan support.”
The Michigan delegation led by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., introduced the amendment Thursday. It would provide $400 million in matching funds to replace the lead pipes in Flint, while dedicating another $200 million for the creation of a “center for excellence” on lead exposure, which would ensure that such a crisis does not happen again, Stabenow said.
The amendment also would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to disclose public health warnings if the state in question refuses to do so.
The EPA would have to disclose any information shared with it by a state that shows a public health hazard has been created within 15 days of knowing about the situation.
Schumer said Stabenow and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., don’t want a “political victory” here. “They need the support.”
“Yes, the government will step in … but Michigan needs to step up,” he emphasized, suggesting that the cost issue may be a sticking point with Republicans.
Stabenow said she has received positive feedback on the amendment from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who is the primary sponsor of the energy legislation the Democrats are trying to attach the amendment to. She said they hope to get the support of more Republicans in the next day or two to advance the Flint provisions.
She said Democrats are not discussing whether to block the energy bill if they don’t get enough votes to approve the Flint measure.
“It’s very clear this is a state of Michigan problem … [and the] state created this problem,” Peters said.
Ultimately, the fix is multi-faceted, reiterating Schumer’s point that the federal government will help, “but the state of Michigan has to step up,” Peters said. The matching funds to replace the lead pipes will have to be matched dollar-for-dollar to meet the $800 million required to complete the job, the senators said during a joint press conference Thursday.
Peters also said the measure would forgive outstanding loans for water infrastructure, so that money can be used in the clean-up effort.
