"House Panel Denounces E.P.A. Actions in Flint Crisis"

"WASHINGTON — Members of a congressional oversight committee excoriated a former Environmental Protection Agency official on Tuesday for not responding more forcefully when she learned last year that Flint, Mich., was not adding a chemical to its new water supply that would have prevented the city’s pipes from corroding and leaching lead.

The former official, Susan Hedman, testified that limited enforcement options had kept her from acting more aggressively to order corrosion control, saying, “I don’t think E.P.A. did anything wrong, but I do believe we could have done more.” But committee members from both parties reacted furiously to her explanation, casting Ms. Hedman, who resigned in January as director of the E.P.A. regional office in charge of Michigan, as one of the primary villains in Flint’s water crisis and heaping contempt on her for more than four hours.

“There’s a special place in hell for actions like this,” said Representative Earl L. Carter, a Georgia Republican known as Buddy, referring to the fact that for months after Ms. Hedman learned about the lack of corrosion control in Flint, neither the E.P.A. nor any other governmental agency warned residents that their water was unsafe."

Abby Goodnough reports for the New York Times March 15, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"Two Former Flint Officials Blame State And Feds For Water Crisis" (Reuters)

"Virginia Tech Lead Expert Attacks EPA at Flint Water Congressional Hearing" (Detroit Free Press)

"Before Flint, Lead-Contaminated Water Plagued Schools Across U.S." (NPR)

"'EPA Had Everything To Do With Creating Flint' -- Researcher" (Greenwire)

"17,000 Newark Children To Be Tested For Lead Poisoning" (Newark Star-Ledger)

"Flint Water Crisis Will Tax Schools, Raise Student Needs" (Detroit Free Press)

"Auto Union Slams Flint Aid Bill" (The Hill)