Flint, amid water crisis, to be added to Consumer Price Index survey
Source: Reuters
World | Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:58pm EST
Flint, amid water crisis, to be added to Consumer Price Index survey
DETROIT
Flint, the Michigan city known for the high lead levels in its drinking water, will also soon begin playing a regular role in how the federal government measures inflation.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday that beginning in April it will collect data from residents for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the city known for the drinking water crisis.
Flint switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014 in a cost-cutting move when the city was under a state-appointed emergency manager. While the city switched its water source back last October, the more corrosive water from the river had already leached lead from city pipes, causing a serious public health threat.
"Periodically, BLS adds new areas to the CPI sample to ensure that the CPI reflects the goods and services people buy and the places they shop," the BLS said in a statement. "Flint is one of six new areas nationwide where BLS will collect CPI data starting in 2016."
A spokesman for the office declined to say why Flint was chosen.
[font size=1]
-snip-[/font]
Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-cpi-idUSKCN0VX2CT