EPA Sides With State Over Flint Water Crises

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sided with the state in a battle over whether the city of Flint should be forced to sign a consent order requiring fixes to the city’s water system.

In June, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said the state could not force her to sign the order outlining a corrective plan for problems identified in an August 2017 sanitary survey.

At the time, Weaver said the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was making “false accusations or lies” about the city's compliance with state and federal drinking water laws. She added that a consent order would be a “deliberate and willful misuse of the DEQ’s authority for political purposes.”

The EPA disagreed in an Wednesday letter to the city, noting that the state has “primacy agency authority” to issue a consent order and that Flint missed the deadline to address its infrastructure problems and avoid such an order.

Since Weaver’s refusal to sign the agreement in June, the city has been negotiating with the state over the terms of the consent agreement and provided a response to the state’s proposed consent order June 27, said Candice Mushatt, a Flint spokeswoman.

On June 28, Mushatt said, the state responded that it would review the city’s letter, which asked to remove some items from the order that the city had already complied with.

“We are still waiting to hear from the MDEQ regarding removals,” she said.

The EPA noted Flint's softening on the issue and commended the city for its efforts at civility. 

“I appreciate the efforts that both sides have put into resolving the deficiencies identified in the sanitary survey,” wrote Linda Holst, acting director for the EPA’s water division. “The city has made and continues to make good faith efforts to resolve the identified issues.”

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We didn't forget about you Flint, Michigan. The fact this is still going on is truly sad and inhumane. I'll keep following for updates to share with everyone.