Posted by Tina
A 116 page report on the Flint Michigan water crisis points fingers at failures in government at all levels for the contaminated water in Flint Michigan but cited failures by the EPA in particular for it’s failure to follow through on it’s own regulations. What good are regulations if they are not enforced?
The Daily Caller has the story:
In particular, the report slams the federal Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the agency was unlikely to enforce clean drinking water regulations in Flint in the absence of “widespread public outrage.”
“EPA failed to properly exercise its authority prior to January 2016. EPA’s conduct casts doubt on its willingness to aggressively pursue enforcement (in the absence of widespread public outrage),” the Flint Water Advisory Task Force found.
“EPA could have exercised its powers under Section 1414 and Section 1431 of the SDWA or under the LCR, 40 CFR 141.82(i),” the task force stated, referring to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Lead and Copper Rule…EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy blamed Flint’s lead problems on state regulators who prescribed the wrong chemical treatments to keep corrosive river water from leaching lead pipes after the city switched its water supply in 2014.
“The [Michigan Department of Environmental Quality] slow-walked all the things that needed to be done to find out how to fix the problem,” McCarthy told Congress in a recent hearing, adding that EPA was “strong-armed” and “misled” about the magnitude of the crisis.
The EPA strongarmed? Surely she’s joking. This is a strong arm agency at the federal level!
Media reports, however, noted EPA officials responsible for overseeing drinking water quality knew about the lead problems in Flint since at least April 2015, but the agency did nothing to notify the public. The agency also took no enforcement actions against Michigan regulators until January 2016. (Emphasis mine)
The EPA administrators under Obama seem more interested in their paychecks that the quality of water. This is the second time the quality of water has been compromised because the EPA blew it. (Colorado mine shaft) Maybe it’s time to end the EPA and restore responsibility at the state level. The fewer administrators there are, the less blame shifting and passing of the buck can occur.
Here’s one more blistering of another of Obumble’s Cabinet shenanigans:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/24/federal-appeals-court-slams-irs-in-tea-party-case-demands-documents.html?intcmp=hpbt1
HOORAY for the 6th Circuit’s UNANIMOUS decision!
HOORAY indeed!
I hope the documents will “dump” at a faster pace than the Hillary emails and that justice will finally be done.
The lack of outrage on the left is astounding. Nixon only suggested such a thing and they screamed foul! More evidence that principle has nothing to do with left grievance and protests. It’s all about power and control and the end justifies the means.
For the requirement of “fairness,” all EPA people – including Gina – should have to drink the bad Flint water for an equal amount of time they sat on their hands while knowing about the problem.
Fair is fair, after all . . . . .
Now, just so I’ve got it straight … you are complaining that the fed agency was lax, but not about state government malfeasance. What’s that about?
I grant you that if the fed is to be our back-up in the face is state malfeasance, and the fed lapses too, a poor citizen is up S&?! Creek. But I find your focus a little lop-sided.
I’m not complaining. I’m reporting what was found in the investigation.
Draw your own conclusions.
The fact that the EPA knew early about the problem, failed to alert the citizens, and abstained from pouncing on the locals (As they do in other situations) is worrisome. What possible reason could exist for the indifference?
As far as I’m concerned, decades of liberal governance at the state and local level bears much of the responsibility.
You are reporting a portion of the findings. Picking and choosing constitutes bias, opinion, and I would say, complaint.
And as to reasons … underfunding?
All indications of incompetence, callous indifference, malice even, are at the state level. Yet another brick in the wall of argument in favor of a strong federal government.
You never print the real facts.
Koch Gov Snyder removed the power of all elected in the city. He appointed a “Emergency Manager” (Darnell Earley)with unilateral power with the GOV. a “Dictator”
Voters voted out the Emergency manager law and Snyder reinstated it and now it cannot be challenged by a referendum. That is dictatorship itself against the will of the voters.
http://www.annarbor.com/news/proposal-1-defeated-michigan-voters-repeal-emergency-manager-law/
http://michiganradio.org/post/michigans-governor-signs-revised-emergency-manager-law
IN sweeps the “Vulture Capitalists” Privatize the water! WHich does not save anybody money but makes investors happy!
http://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2016/feb/11/flint-water-crisis-profit-privatization
http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/04/investing/water-utility-stocks-flint-michigan/index.html
The switch the water supply with full knowledge of the pollution on April 25th 2014.
A timeline is well presented here and I watched this go down on real news myself. it is correct.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/01/flint-lead-water-crisis-timeline
Susan Hedman, director of the EPA’s Midwest division apologized for Del Toral’s EPA report and told Gov Snyder that will never happen again. She was either bought out or threatened.
So yes they had a comrade in the EPA but to shift the blame off Snyder is irresponsible and disgusting.
This was by design to make investor profits at the risk of Human Life. That is exactly the Koch Tea Party Model. Time for you to own it or tell the truth. We need to clean out these agencies of conservatives who cover up.
For anyone to sit around and try to blame anyone other that Rick Snyder for this is not Christian nor American.
Many are to blame but it all started with Snyder removing Democracy and privatizing away public utilities for investor profit. This is going on in many cities.
Privatization = Corruption at the risk of life. Rick Scott is a Venture Capitalist that the ignorance of voters elected.
Score 1 for Venture capitalism and 0 for Human Life in Flint 0 for taxpayers picking up the bills while investors profit.
true Conservative at work.
I mean Rick Snyder, Rick scott is on my list as I move to Floriduh!