Moolenaar presses EPA administrator on response to Flint water crisis

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy on Thursday about the agency’s response to the water crisis in Flint, Mich., during a House Agriculture Committee hearing.

Moolenaar, a member of the committee, said EPA officials were made aware of issues with Flint’s drinking water as early as February 2015 but failed to act.

“My understanding is that the EPA was aware as early as February of last year that corrosion controls that would have prevented lead from leaching from the pipes were not being implemented, that there were serious concerns about raised levels of lead, in fact, above the enforcement action level of the EPA,” Moolenaar said. “EPA was aware of that and did nothing.”

Moolenaar also said that residents alerted the EPA that taps were being pre-flushed for a number of minutes before water samples were collected for testing.

“My understanding under the Safe Drinking Water Act you have the authority for action when there’s imminent and substantial endangerment to health,” Moolenaar told McCarthy. “My question is, if you knew this in February, why was there no action taken for almost a year?”

McCarthy said it was her understanding was that the EPA asked state officials in February 2015 if corrosion control measures were being taken and the state said they were.

McCarthy added that elevated levels of lead in water collected from one or two houses wouldn’t necessarily signal a larger lead leaching issue.

Moolenaar cited emails sent from a local EPA official to higher ups in the agency. The local official expressed concerns about lead leaching that appeared to go unaddressed.

“Rather than taking action, a legal opinion was requested on the authority of the EPA to step in,” Moolenaar said. “I have to believe that anyone who looks at the documentation of the law would be able to give the opinion that EPA has authority in this matter.”