Washington, D.C. – February 18, 2016 – (RealEstateRama) — Representative John Moolenaar (R-Midland) questioned EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy about the agency’s failures in the Flint water crisis.
In February of 2015, officials at the EPA were contacted by Flint residents about water quality problems. For months afterward, the EPA did not inform the public about the risks of drinking Flint water.
While the EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality fought over the necessity of corrosion control, the EPA could have informed the general public about the health risk in Flint using power granted to it under Section 1431 of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974.
Section 1431 says:
“the Administrator, upon receipt of information that a contaminant which is present in or is likely to enter a public water system or an underground source of drinking water, or that there is a threatened or potential terrorist attack (or other intentional act designed to disrupt the provision of safe drinking water or to impact adversely the safety of drinking water supplied to communities and individuals),which may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health of persons, and that appropriate State and local authorities have not acted to protect the health of such persons, may take such actions as he may deem necessary in order to protect the health of such persons.”
Administrator McCarthy also praised EPA Region Five Administrator Susan Hedman and called her February 1 resignation “courageous.” Hedman resigned after she failed to notify the public about the risks of Flint drinking water.
In the final minute of questioning, Representative Moolenaar asked Administrator McCarthy when her agency would release Hedman’s emails on the Flint water crisis.
“When can we expect to see the documentation and communications from Region Five?” asked Moolenaar.
Administrator McCarthy said she did not know and provided no schedule for the release of the documents.
Today’s questioning took place during a House Agriculture Committee hearing.
Here is video of Representative Moolenaar’s questioning:
