Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Flint water crisis: Independent investigation is launched to find out who poisoned city

Attorney General Bill Schuette says the people of Flint 'want to know if laws have been broken' and has hired former Detroit FBI head Todd Flood

 

Rachael Revesz
New York
Monday 25 January 2016 18:00 GMT
Comments
Attorney General: "People in Flint aren't even using the river to water their yards"
Attorney General: "People in Flint aren't even using the river to water their yards" (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A new independent investigation has been set up to look into who is responsible for the polluted water supply at Flint, Michigan.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, speaking to reporters on Monday, said there will be “no borders or constraints” during the investigation as to why the people of Flint have been drinking water contaminated with lead for two years.

The review will include analyzing all emails and communication between local authorities, who have been accused of being aware of the problem for at least a year.

Mr Schuette would not be drawn on the timeline of the investigation or the costs involved.

“This will be a thorough investigation. It will be exhaustive and independent. What the people of Flint want is straight talk and no false promises,” he said. “The people of Flint want to know if laws have been broken.”

Prosecutor Todd Flood, former prosecutor for Wayne County and retired head of the Detroit FBI, said he will chase “all the facts”.

“This is my case, this is my life right now,” he told reporters. “I’m here to say that I don’t know the landscape but we will investigate every person [involved].”

Mr Schuette said he is in discussions with lawyers and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver.

He did not give any detail on further action regarding the fact that Flint citizens have been fined for not paying their water bill.

“If you can’t drink the bad water you shouldn’t pay for it. To me it’s like a defective product,” he said.

“We’re looking at what we can do internally - [using] a combination of EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], federal funds, if we need to suspend the water service - all I can tell you is residents are not using it to water their yard, right? It’s an outrage to pay for something they can’t drink.”

The Daily Beast reported that the emergency manager for Flint, appointed by Republican Governor Rick Snyder in 2012, rejected the city’s river as a water supply after consultation with the EPA, but that decision was reversed by the Snyder administration.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in