Following Trump's Funding Freeze, Flint Mayor Contacts EPA
By Peak Johnson
Early last week, the Trump administration placed a freeze on grants and contracts from the U.S. EPA. Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that is a big concern for Flint, MI, because the state is trying to secure money to help fix the problems that resulted in its water emergency.
Following the announcement, ABC 12 reported that Weaver sent a letter to Catherine McCabe, the EPA's acting administrator.
"I wanted to reach out to stress to leaders how critical it is for Flint to receive the funding that has already been approved by Congress," said Mayor Weaver.
In the letter, the mayor demonstrated her concern, noting that “Flint is relying on the funding to help recover from the man-made water disaster by fixing the city's damaged infrastructure and replacing lead-tainted pipes leading to thousands of Flint homes.”
In a recent six-month study, the levels of lead in Flint’s drinking water tested below the federal limit. The study was conducted early last July and was concluded at the end of last year, and it found that levels of lead were at 12 ppb or lower in 90 percent of the samples taken.
While pipe replacements are still ongoing, CNN reported that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) suggested that residents “use filtered water for drinking and cooking.”
"The remarkable improvement in water quality over the past year is a testament to all levels of government working together and the resilient people of Flint helping us help them," Governor Rick Snyder, said. "There is still more work to do in Flint, and I remain committed to helping the residents recover and restore their city."
The 98,000 residents of Flint have been dealing with the contamination crisis for more than two years, since the state switched the city's water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River.
Last Thursday signified 1,000 days since Flint switched water sources, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Since Flint’s drinking water returned to Detroit’s system in October 2015, according to both government officials and environmental researchers, “there has been a steady decline in the overall levels of lead and other bacteria.”
"The critical funding source for these drinking water infrastructure improvements is the $100 million federal appropriation under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN)," Weaver stated, according to ABC. "Without these dollars the city cannot pay for these proposed infrastructure improvements."
Weaver concluded the letter by asking for written assurance “that the City of Flint will be granted the dollars through the EPA in a fair and consistent basis. She also thanked the EPA for continued support to help the city rebuild and move forward from the water crisis."