Michigan's U.S. senators on Thursday proposed $400 million to fix or replace lead-contaminated water pipes in the city of Flint, which they described as facing a public health crisis.
They planned to include the proposal as part of an amendment to an energy bill being debated in the Senate. The amendment would also require the Environmental Protection Agency to notify residents about unsafe water, create a center to study the effects of lead exposure and allow the state to forgive some of the city's water infrastructure loans.
Residents of Flint are still warned to avoid tap water after children in the community were found to have unsafe levels of lead exposure. The problem stems from a decision in April 2014, when the city was under state control, to save money by switching the source of the city's water supply.
The state must be held accountable, but the first step is fixing the public health crisis, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). She has said she believes race factored into the situation in Flint, a predominately poor, black community.
"The sad, outrageous reality is that people were not paying attention to what the residents were saying because they weren't a priority,” Stabenow told Yahoo News. "It's just a fact that (Flint was) treated differently than others would be treated.”
The federal government should step in as it would after a disaster like a tornado or flood, Stabenow said Wednesday, adding that she expects bipartisan support for her amendment.
Michigan lawmakers this week asked HHS to expand Head Start services to all eligible Flint children.
The state on Thursday requested that Medicaid eligibility be granted to all Flint-area residents 21 or younger and that match dollars be provided for lead abatement activities.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said he is also encouraging small business loans to help the local economy, particularly restaurants, deal with revenue lost to the crisis.
“Every fabric of the community is being affected by this,” he said.
Stabenow said the legislation they present requires the state of Michigan to pay the additional $400 million Republican Gov. Rick Snyder estimates it will cost to fix the pipes.
“They have the resources if they have the will,” she said.
