The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, resulted from a 2014 decision by the city to switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The change was made without adding chemicals to prevent pipe corrosion, so lead leaked into residents’ water, creating a serious public health problem. As the crisis gained national attention in the fall of 2015, Michigan’s congressional representatives called for action.
On February 10, the House passed, 416 to 2, H.R. 4470, introduced by Representative Dan Kildee (MI-D), to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to notify the public within 15 days after discovering unsafe levels of lead in a drinking water system. The bill would also mandate increased communication between Federal and State government officials about such findings.
The bill does not address funding to alleviate the effects of the current crisis, however, and Representative Kildee has introduced separate legislation (H.R. 4479) to appropriate $750 million for infrastructure improvements, community wellness programs, and economic development assistance in Flint.
Similar provisions are contained in an amendment to a bipartisan energy bill proposed by Michigan Democratic Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters. With Democrats threatening to block that bill unless it includes the amendment, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY-R) pulled it from the floor.
Republicans, led by Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK-R), say that a plan needs to be in place to fix the problem before large sums are appropriated. They also argue that providing emergency funding for what they consider to be a State and local responsibility without a way to offset the costs would set a bad precedent. Republicans offered a counterproposal to provide $50 million outright for Flint and $500 in low-interest loans, but Senator Stabenow said that amount was “not adequate” to deal with the current crisis.
President Obama announced earlier that the Administration will provide $80 million to help repair Flint’s water infrastructure.
Meanwhile, on February 3, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing to examine the Environmental Protection Agency’s response to the crisis. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a hearing on February 10, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans a hearing for March.
As government officials at all levels work to respond to the Flint water crisis, other States and localities are looking more closely at the purity of their water and ways to upgrade their aging pipes and treatment plants before their communities face similar situations.
For more background on water issues, see the March 2012 issue of Congressional Digest on “Fracking and Drinking Water Safety.”
