THOUGH the most abundant supply of fresh water in the world is on their doorstep, the residents of Flint, Michigan cannot drink what flows from their taps. Facing demands for both his resignation and even a criminal prosecution for his part in the poisoning of Flint, Rick Snyder, the Republican governor of Michigan, sounded contrite in his state-of-the-state address on January 19th. “I am sorry, and I will fix it,” Mr Snyder said. “You deserve better.” He pledged to release all his e-mails from 2014 and 2015, so that the public can see how he has handled the crisis. He said he would ask the legislature for $28.5m for Flint’s immediate needs, such as the bottled water and water filters that National Guard troops are distributing to residents. Mr Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint on January 5th. The federal government followed suit on January 16th.
The trouble began far earlier, in April 2014. On the watch of a manager, Darnell Earley, who had been appointed by the state to manage the near-bankrupt city, Flint began to draw its water from the Flint river instead of Lake Huron to save money. The gritty rustbelt metropolis, where General...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/1PqU0GG
EmoticonEmoticon