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Governor pledges state aid for East Chicago lead problems

Posted February 17, 2017 6:00 am

The Associated Press

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) - Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb told East Chicago officials that the state will do all it can to address the city's lead contamination problems.

Holcomb traveled Friday to East Chicago for a meeting with U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, Mayor Anthony Copeland and representatives of local community groups. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports (http://bit.ly/2lsdO9u ) Holcomb said he feels the city "will be in a better place" once the decades-old lead pollution is addressed.

About 80 of 340 families remain at a public housing complex that residents must move away from because of lead- and arsenic-contaminated soil. Holcomb issued a state disaster declaration city last week that focuses on helping find new homes for the remaining residents.

Vice President Mike Pence faced criticism for not approving a disaster declaration while he was governor.

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