The Latest: Obama says he's helping fix Flint water crisis
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The latest on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (all times local):
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5:50 p.m.
President Barack Obama has told autoworkers in Detroit that his administration is doing what it can to assist Flint in that city's water crisis.
Obama said Wednesday at the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources that if he were a parent in Flint he would be beside himself if his children's health was "at risk."
The president also said the situation in Flint is a "reminder of why you can't shortchange basic services."
Obama has declared an emergency in Flint, qualifying the city for $5 million. Gov. Rick Snyder is seeking a federal disaster declaration which would bring in more federal resources.
Corrosive water from the Flint River has caused lead to leach from old pipes into homes. Tests have shown high levels of lead in the blood of some children.
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5:20 p.m.
The Michigan House has approved Gov. Rick Snyder's request for $28 million more to deal with Flint's drinking water crisis.
The House voted unanimously Wednesday, and the measure moves to the Senate for expected action next week.
The funding, which follows the Legislature's $9 million allocation toward the crisis in the fall, would pay for more bottled water, filters, health treatment, water testing and help the city offset unpaid water bills. The money also would cover the replacement of plumbing fixtures in schools, day cares and medical facilities.
Snyder said in Tuesday's annual State of the State speech that the $28 million is not his last budget request for Flint. He is expected to include additional funding in his February budget proposal.
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4:45 p.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration has released more than 270 pages of his emails related to the Flint water crisis.
The emails were posted Wednesday on his website, www.michigan.gov/snyder.
The second-term Republican pledged during his annual State of the State speech Tuesday night to fix the emergency in Flint and to have greater transparency by releasing his own emails on the matter. He's not required to do so under state law.
Flint's water became contaminated with too much lead when an emergency city manager appointed by Snyder switched its water source to the Flint River in 2014 to cut costs.
Lead contamination can lead to behavior problems and learning disabilities in children and kidney ailments in adults.
Flint's 100,000 residents are unable to drink unfiltered tap water. The National Guard, state employees, local authorities and volunteers are distributing lead tests, filters and bottled water.
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1:50 p.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is asking President Barack Obama to reconsider the denial of his request for a federal disaster declaration in Flint.
The governor submitted his appeal on Wednesday, likening the crisis to a flood and saying that the city's lead-contaminated water is a "natural catastrophe in the sense that lead contamination into water is a natural process."
The Obama administration declared an emergency but determined the crisis did not meet the legal definition of a major disaster.
Snyder says the "considerable" needs brought by the disaster exceed the funding capabilities of state and local government. He says without additional federal aid, Michigan won't have money to repair the entire public water system, plumbing inside homes in the high-poverty city and to provide other assistance.
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12:45 p.m.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver says she will not call for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's resignation over the water crisis in her city.
Asked at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., what repercussions Snyder should face, she said Snyder needs to remain in place to provide "the services and the money, the funds that we need to address the population."
Flint's water became contaminated with too much lead when its water source was switched in a cost-cutting measure in 2014. Protesters called for the governor's resignation as he delivered his State of the State speech Tuesday night.
Weaver refused to join those calls, saying she is staying focused on what she can get from the governor to resolve the crisis.
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1:29 a.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is planning to release all his email correspondence relating to the Flint water crisis.
The Snyder administration says it will post the emails on the governor's website, www.michigan.gov/snyder, on Wednesday.
The second-term Republican pledged during his annual State of the State speech Tuesday night to fix the emergency in Flint and to have greater transparency by releasing his own emails on the matter. He's not required to do so under state law.
Flint's water became contaminated with too much lead when an emergency city manager appointed by Snyder switched its water source to the Flint River in 2014 to cut costs.
Lead contamination can lead to behavior problems and learning disabilities in children and kidney ailments in adults.
Flint's 100,000 residents are unable to drink unfiltered tap water. The National Guard, state employees, local authorities and volunteers are distributing lead tests, filters and bottled water.