A judge says the federal government can be sued by Flint residents who blame the Environmental Protection Agency for waiting too long to intervene in the city's water crisis.
Federal Judge Linda Parker didn't determine whether EPA employees were negligent when Flint's water system became contaminated with lead in 2014 and 2015. The decision at this stage is more narrow, with the judge saying Thursday that the government isn't immune to a lawsuit.
Parker says EPA employees knew lead was leaching from old pipes because Flint's water wasn't being properly treated. She says the EPA also knew that Michigan regulators were misleading residents about the quality of the water.
The judge says the "lies went on for months."
The Associated Press sent an email to the EPA seeking comment Friday.
darkstars_11 on April 19th, 2019 at 16:50 UTC »
Mi resident here. The state leadership and agencies need to be held solely responsible. They were warned ahead of switching the water source. They advised after the switch that there was a problem and they actively worked to hide evidence after the news broke. Jail time needs to happen. the sad truth is there is no easy fix. The safest solution would be to remove and replace every bit of plumbing that was contaminated. Good luck with that in a city the size of Flint. The reality is that most likely the powers that be will play kick the can and keep getting money/ grants the residents never see. In the mean time, property values plummit, jobs move away, the citizens are sickened or indirectly killed. No one that was high up on the food chain will face justice or even be changed. Equal justice for all , my rear end...
drewisawesome14 on April 19th, 2019 at 16:12 UTC »
Why? Isn't it the locals governments fault?
JScrambler on April 19th, 2019 at 15:53 UTC »
It seems like the state government is getting off too easily.
Edit: grammar