Friday, March 29, 2024

Upton and Pallone request information on Flint water crisis from EPA, Michigan DEQ

Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)
U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) recently sent letters to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) requesting information on the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

Upton and Pallone, chairman and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively, sent the letters as a follow up from two briefings delivered by the EPA. In the wake of an EPA administrative order, which came on Jan. 21 and has resulted in an expanded federal response to the crisis in the form of EPA intervention, the committee’s request for information includes questions on how the response efforts are to be delegated between the various federal, state and local agencies involved. The letters also request background information on the crisis, such as briefing materials related to Flint’s drinking water system going back to 2013 and the city’s historic compliance audit. The letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy further asks about the agency’s future intentions in terms of compliance verification, such as whether or not the EPA is planning to increase its activities in that field following the crisis in Flint.

The representatives request a response from both the EPA and MDEQ by Feb. 17