It’s clear that the story of the poisoning of Flint, Michigan’s drinking water by the Snyder administration has finally broken through to the national news. It’s not only being reported by major national news outlets, presidential candidates are now weighing in.
Today, Hillary Clinton issued this statement:
The situation in Flint, Michigan, is extremely concerning. No parent should have to worry that their kids’ water isn’t safe. We now know that a General Motors factory stopped using Flint’s water because it was corroding car engine parts — yet officials continued to reassure the public that the water was safe for human consumption. That’s unconscionable, and I applaud the Department of Justice for joining the Environmental Protection Agency in investigating what happened here.Thousands of children may have been exposed to lead, which could irreversibly harm their health and brain functioning. Plus, this catastrophe — which was caused by a zeal to save money at all costs — could actually cost $1.5 billion in infrastructure repairs.
The people of Flint deserve to know the truth about how this happened and what Governor Snyder and other leaders knew about it. And they deserve a solution, fast.
Hopefully Bernie Sanders will follow suit. This story needs national attention and having our Democratic presidential candidates talking about it will help ensure that that happens.
[CC image credit: Marc Nozell | Wikimedia Commons]
