After two full years of Flint, Michigan, residents poisoning its residents, the Flint water crisis is now officially a “scandal” in the truest sense of the word, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it will investigate it as such.
The FBI will look into the Flint water crisis and Flint city officials’ actions including those of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder(R) and Flint’s Emergency Managers to determine whether anything criminal has taken place to cause the crisis. A spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s office Gina Balaya, confirmed the investigation was indeed on the books, although the FBI comprises only one part of a multi-agency investigation team, according to the Detroit field office spokesperson.
Other agencies investigating the lead crisis include the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Inspector General, the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, reports the Detroit Free Press. The multi-agency investigation will look into what caused the crisis.
Flint Water Crisis: Criminal Or Civil?
Although officially it’s unknown if the agencies are investigating the poisoning as a criminal or civil matter, Balaya indicated the day before that,
“The FBI and other agencies would be investigating possible criminal wrongdoing.”
The FBI Detroit field office spokesperson Jill Washburn, said via the Detroit News that the FBI’s been “investigating it for awhile,” referring to the poisoned water. She continued, saying that
“Our role in it is just investigating the matter to determine if there are any federal violations.”
The revelation that multiple agencies are investigating the Flint water crisis comes on the heels of the EPA regional director’s resignation in connection to the scandal. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade assured everyone that the EPA official’s resignation would not hinder investigations.
How Did Flint Get Here?
The residents have been drinking lead-contaminated water at least since April 2014. That was when Gov. Snyder switched the city of Flint from getting water from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department System, which drew water from Lake Huron, to drawing Flint River water. This was pumped to and treated in a Flint facility, according to MLive.
Later, Flint’s emergency manager decided to not use an anti-corrosive agent to coat the pipes – a direct violation of federal law – just to save $100 a day over three months. The Flint River water was so contaminated that the lack of anti-corrosive allowed the water to damage the pipes, which resulted in lead from the pipes leaching into the water.
A spokesman for Gov. Snyder, Dave Murray, responded to the news of an investigation, saying Gov. Snyder’s office would,
“Cooperate fully with any authorities … It’s important to look at missteps at all three levels of government … Local, state and federal, so such a crisis doesn’t occur again.”
Notice how Gov. Snyder’s spokesperson blames “all three levels of government” even though it was Gov. Snyder who decided to use Flint River as a water source, against the recommendations resulting from a prior test of the water.
A number of Flint officials connected to the water crisis appeared before Congress last week, including the new director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Keith Creagh, and the acting EPA Office of Water deputy assistant administrator.
Also invited was Darnell Farley, Flint’s former emergency manager, but he refused, which resulted in Representative Jason Chaffetz issuing a subpoena. Farley still refused, and Rep. Chaffetz has since enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshall service to hunt Farley down and bring him in, according to the Huffington Post.
Featured Image by Senate Dems via Flickr/CC by 2.0
