Governor Rick Snyder 'very sorry' about Flint water lead levels debacle

[Proserpina]

Well, that's all right, then...

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/30/michigan-governer-rick-snyder-very-sorry-about-water-supply-debacle?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+Version+A&utm_term=146829&subid=9068680&CMP=ema_565a

Michigan governor Rick Snyder apologized on Tuesday for the debacle that caused the city of Flint’s water supply to be poisoned by lead, while the top state environment official resigned in light of a report that chiefly placed the blame for the crisis on his department.

The resignation was the latest in the crisis that has consumed the city of 100,000, as local doctors have warned in recent weeks that contaminated drinking water flowing from household taps may have affected more residents than originally thought.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Snyder said the resignation of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality director (MDEQ) Dan Wyant was “appropriate to accept”, but he added that changes in leadership won’t be enough.

“I understand there can be disagreements within the scientific community,” Snyder said. “That is why I have directed both the departments of environmental quality and health and human services to invite every external scientist who has worked on this issue to be our partners in helping us to improve Flint water.”

The governor also apologized for the pollution problems, in what appears to be the first instance he has directly offered an expression of regret since the crisis arose several months ago.

“I want the Flint community to know how very sorry I am that this has happened,” he said. “And I want all Michigan citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an aging infrastructure.”

Flint has been embroiled in a never-ending stream of water quality issues that began in April 2014, when the city started pulling water from a local river as a cost-saving measure. The switch took place while Flint was operated by a state-appointed emergency manager, who held vast powers to oversee day-to-day operations, as the Rust Belt city was buckling under financial straits. Residents immediately raised concerns about water that was suddenly cloudy, odorus and tasted rancid. Within months, General Motors had stopped using Flint water at a local engine plant because it was rusting machine parts. Initial tests also revealed elevated levels of chemical compounds in the water supply that can lead to liver or kidney issues. Nonetheless, state environmental officials downplayed residents’ complaints and vehemently disputed local studies that found a link between elevated blood-lead levels among children and the water source switch, until, in October, Snyder conceded the situation had become a “public safety issue” and announced a $12m plan to transfer Flint back to its previous supply with the city of Detroit.

It was the lackadaisical approach by the MDEQ in addressing the crisis – from failing to properly treat the Flint river to officials belittling responses to public outcry – that bears the “primary responsibility for what happened in Flint” and must be held accountable, a Snyder-appointed task force said on Tuesday in a three-page report of interim findings...

yeah, sure

[etherealtruth]

1. I don't know if you have seen these articles but they are fairly good at presenting info

http://michiganradio.org/post/whos-blame-flints-water-crisis-virginia-tech-researcher-points-finger-mdeq#stream/0

http://flintwaterstudy.org/2015/09/commentary-mdeq-mistakes-deception-flint-water-crisis/

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/10/seven_key_takeaways_from_gov_s.html

[Jim__]

2. Did he apologize for the emergency financial manager system?

Did he apologize for the idiotic idea that a city should be run by one person, not necessarily a person with any real connection to the city, one person with dictatorial power over the city.

[Proserpina]

3. Of course not!

That was all part of the plan...ignore the people, and skim off the $$$

[Gothmog]

4. Synder is a really bad governor who is poisoning people

[3catwoman3]

5. This will no doubt be of great...

...comfort to the parents whose children may have been permanently harmed.

(just in case it wasn't obvious)

[WhiteTara]

6. Debacle? How about crime?

Or maybe it's just a snafu.

[LovingA2andMI]

7. Just wrote an LONG article about what he can do with...

His Sorry. We would say stick it in is (Beep) but the article says it better -- an manages not to use one curse word.