Federal agencies agree to better address lead contamination

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) - A new joint agreement between federal agencies aims to deal with lead contamination of subsidized housing in the wake of the crisis in East Chicago that has led to the relocation of more than 1,000 people.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency signed the agreement Wednesday, giving the agencies more proactive means to test and clean up contaminated public housing complexes and subsidized multifamily housing on or near Superfund sites.

There also has been remediation across the Calumet neighborhood due to the lead and arsenic contamination, which was discovered in 2016.

During a U.S. Senate hearing on his nomination as HUD secretary, former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said he'd continue to relocate families from the complex if confirmed.