EPA Official Resigns Over Flint Water Crisis

[Purveyor]

Source: The Hill

By Timothy Cama - 01/21/16 06:16 PM EST

The regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief responsible for Michigan is resigning amid charges that she did not do enough to prevent the Flint, Mich., drinking water crisis.

Susan Hedman, regional administrator for the EPA’s Chicago-based region 5, submitted her resignation Thursday, effective Feb. 1, the EPA said.

“EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has accepted given Susan’s strong interest in ensuring that EPA region 5’s focus remains solely on the restoration of Flint’s drinking water,” an EPA spokeswoman said late Thursday.

Hedman told the Detroit News last week that her office knew in April 2015 that Flint’s action to switch its water supply could cause increased pipe corrosion and spiked lead levels.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/266661-epa-official-resigns-amid-flint-water-crisis

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Oh oh,this is going to leave a mark.

[TrollBuster9090]

12. I'm not sure what the fuss is about, in her case, either.

As far as I know, the EPA was complaining directly to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that they were not allowed to switch from lake water to river water without implementing anti-corrosion measures. (River water is corrosive, lake water is not. And so, if river water is sent directly into led pipes without pre-treatment it will cause leaching of the lead into the water.)

So the EPA was arguing with the DEQ that they weren't allowed to switch from lake water to river water without anti-corrosion treatment, and the DEQ was saying they didn't have to do that. So, she tried to get a legal opinion if the EPA could FORCE Michigan to treat the water.

So, now the GOP talking point is that this is all the EPA's fault for not going public with the information last February, in order to distract from the fact that it was actually Snyder's government who poisoned the water.

Well, if the argument is that the EPA should be allowed to do their jobs WITHOUT having to worry about embarrassing State Governments and private Corporations that are poisoning the environment, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. The EPA should be both allowed, and ENCOURAGED to call out polluters without having to be (capital P) politically correct about it.

If she was reluctant to go public with the information, I'm pretty sure it was only because she was afraid of political reprisals. We really need to insulate these government watch dog organizations from political reprisals with some laws.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. Well, she fucked the pooch rather badly.

I know quite well one of her predecessors. He survived many changes in the Oval Office, and still got serious work completed. I am very VERY glad she resigned. I am sad that she was so FUCKING STUPID to let this shit pass thru her office.

Don't even begin to ask what she did with BP and their horrific plant on the southern tip of Lake Michigan. She, after Hillary, was the worst appointment of the Obama administration

[840high]

6. ..+1

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Going out on a limb here by agreeing with you.

Familiar with the how and why on appointments,and,how they can come back and bit.e someone in the ass.
Heard about the BP thing wondered what the heck the deal was. This will become a campaign issue,count on it. The Rethugs will give this what is called legs. Question. Was this a Rahmn or Penny Pritsker pal?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. As much as I try, and despite multiple local sources,

I suspect we will never know.

But I do complain about Obama for putting her in that position.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Hey,it will surface.

Probably a personal friend of someone in Chi-Town or a staffer. So much for a clean Administration .

[KoKo]

14. "Democracy Now" did a whole show about the Timeline of the Lead in Water

And, she didn't come out very well in the report. Although many were to blame...she didn't act on it soon enough.

[KamaAina]

2. Rick Snyder is an EPA official?

[llmart]

4. When's Snyder going to do the same?

"The buck stops with me" he said. So, if that's the case, he needs to resign.

[hopemountain]

11. snyder must be required to release his emails

going back to before 2013. this march will be 2 years since the water was switched. the decision to not spend $6million on filtering the water and protecting flint from lead poisoning goes back further.

[lsewpershad]

13. Resigning

does not absolve you.[her]

[awoke_in_2003]

15. It worked for Nixon...

and others. Our problem is that we don't go after these bastards when they resign.