Vitter, Inhofe, Cornyn criticise McCarthy’s EPA leadership through Flint crisis

U.S. Sens. David Vitter (R-LA), James Inhofe (R-OK) and John Cornyn (R-TX) recently sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy on the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

“The State of Michigan has received extensive scrutiny on this matter for their failure to notify the public of and take action to rectify this health hazard,” said the letter. “It has come to our attention that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under your leadership, also had prior knowledge of the contaminated drinking water and refused to take action in notifying the public.”

Vitter, Inhofe and Cornyn — who represent a senior member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, the EPW chairman and the Senate majority whip, respectively — requested the EPA’s internal correspondence on the water crisis and questioned McCarthy on her leadership on the issue.

“The stated mission of the EPA is to ‘protect human health and the environment,’ yet the agency’s failure to notify Flint residents that their drinking water was unsafe is a clear deviation from that mission,” said the letter. “As you have alluded to before, leadership starts with you. It certainly appears that the EPA did not take action, or at a minimum, alert citizens about the lead contamination. Instead, you have placed all accountability for your agency’s failures on your Region 5 Administrator.”