Still Without Clean Water, Flint Demands Aid From Lame-Duck Congress
'For our government to have done this and then turned its back on our citizens—there is no way that three years into this we should still be suffering with this'
The mayor of Flint, Michigan, and over 100 advocacy groups on Monday sent an open letter to all members of Congress, demanding emergency aid to help the city cope with its ongoing water crisis.
The city, whose residents continue to suffer from health problems related to lead-tainted drinking water, still does not have clean water.
The letter (pdf) reminds the legislature that "[a]lthough the crisis in Flint began over two years ago, the community has yet to receive appropriate federal relief."
"Flint needs to stay a priority--we cannot let this go away," said Flint Mayor Karen Weaver on a conference call with reporters Monday, according to the Detroit News. "This is November. We're six months into our third year [...] now that the residents of Flint have not been able to bathe or cool with their water. It makes no sense."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted similar sentiments on Monday:
"Congress is aiming to craft an aid package to replace corroded pipes in Flint and other cities around the country. But the size of the aid bill and the method for passing it are still up in the air," the Hill explains.
"It is imperative that Congress pass a final Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) bill in the lame duck that provides guaranteed aid for Flint," the letter reads. "The people of Flint need federal relief to help them rebuild and recover from the public health crisis created by lead contamination of their drinking water--a disaster that began over two years ago and continues to unfold."
The Hill reports:
[...] Weaver said Monday that the city should be at the top of lawmakers' agendas as they enter the final few weeks of their session.
"If Flint doesn't show you that there is a need to invest in infrastructure, and maintaining infrastructure and water quality standards, I don't know what place does," she said.
The letter's signatories include a wide variety of local and national non-profits, including the ACLU of Michigan, Earthjustice, American Rivers, the Breast Cancer Fund, Greenpeace, Franciscan Action Network, and the Utility Workers Union of America, among many others.
The organizations write: "Our groups urge the passage of a final water resources bill that provides robust guaranteed federal aid for Flint and includes the common-sense provisions in Title VII of S. 2848. The people of Flint have already waited too long-Congress must provide effective relief to help the community begin long-term recovery from this environmental and public health disaster."
Francis Gilcreast, president of the NAACP's Flint branch, told the Detroit News that "many local families can't host relatives and friends at Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the water."
"Psychologically, it's devastating to our citizens," Gilcreast told the local newspaper. "For our government to have done this and then turned its back on our citizens--there is no way that three years into this we should still be suffering with this."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The mayor of Flint, Michigan, and over 100 advocacy groups on Monday sent an open letter to all members of Congress, demanding emergency aid to help the city cope with its ongoing water crisis.
The city, whose residents continue to suffer from health problems related to lead-tainted drinking water, still does not have clean water.
The letter (pdf) reminds the legislature that "[a]lthough the crisis in Flint began over two years ago, the community has yet to receive appropriate federal relief."
"Flint needs to stay a priority--we cannot let this go away," said Flint Mayor Karen Weaver on a conference call with reporters Monday, according to the Detroit News. "This is November. We're six months into our third year [...] now that the residents of Flint have not been able to bathe or cool with their water. It makes no sense."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted similar sentiments on Monday:
"Congress is aiming to craft an aid package to replace corroded pipes in Flint and other cities around the country. But the size of the aid bill and the method for passing it are still up in the air," the Hill explains.
"It is imperative that Congress pass a final Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) bill in the lame duck that provides guaranteed aid for Flint," the letter reads. "The people of Flint need federal relief to help them rebuild and recover from the public health crisis created by lead contamination of their drinking water--a disaster that began over two years ago and continues to unfold."
The Hill reports:
[...] Weaver said Monday that the city should be at the top of lawmakers' agendas as they enter the final few weeks of their session.
"If Flint doesn't show you that there is a need to invest in infrastructure, and maintaining infrastructure and water quality standards, I don't know what place does," she said.
The letter's signatories include a wide variety of local and national non-profits, including the ACLU of Michigan, Earthjustice, American Rivers, the Breast Cancer Fund, Greenpeace, Franciscan Action Network, and the Utility Workers Union of America, among many others.
The organizations write: "Our groups urge the passage of a final water resources bill that provides robust guaranteed federal aid for Flint and includes the common-sense provisions in Title VII of S. 2848. The people of Flint have already waited too long-Congress must provide effective relief to help the community begin long-term recovery from this environmental and public health disaster."
Francis Gilcreast, president of the NAACP's Flint branch, told the Detroit News that "many local families can't host relatives and friends at Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the water."
"Psychologically, it's devastating to our citizens," Gilcreast told the local newspaper. "For our government to have done this and then turned its back on our citizens--there is no way that three years into this we should still be suffering with this."
The mayor of Flint, Michigan, and over 100 advocacy groups on Monday sent an open letter to all members of Congress, demanding emergency aid to help the city cope with its ongoing water crisis.
The city, whose residents continue to suffer from health problems related to lead-tainted drinking water, still does not have clean water.
The letter (pdf) reminds the legislature that "[a]lthough the crisis in Flint began over two years ago, the community has yet to receive appropriate federal relief."
"Flint needs to stay a priority--we cannot let this go away," said Flint Mayor Karen Weaver on a conference call with reporters Monday, according to the Detroit News. "This is November. We're six months into our third year [...] now that the residents of Flint have not been able to bathe or cool with their water. It makes no sense."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted similar sentiments on Monday:
"Congress is aiming to craft an aid package to replace corroded pipes in Flint and other cities around the country. But the size of the aid bill and the method for passing it are still up in the air," the Hill explains.
"It is imperative that Congress pass a final Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) bill in the lame duck that provides guaranteed aid for Flint," the letter reads. "The people of Flint need federal relief to help them rebuild and recover from the public health crisis created by lead contamination of their drinking water--a disaster that began over two years ago and continues to unfold."
The Hill reports:
[...] Weaver said Monday that the city should be at the top of lawmakers' agendas as they enter the final few weeks of their session.
"If Flint doesn't show you that there is a need to invest in infrastructure, and maintaining infrastructure and water quality standards, I don't know what place does," she said.
The letter's signatories include a wide variety of local and national non-profits, including the ACLU of Michigan, Earthjustice, American Rivers, the Breast Cancer Fund, Greenpeace, Franciscan Action Network, and the Utility Workers Union of America, among many others.
The organizations write: "Our groups urge the passage of a final water resources bill that provides robust guaranteed federal aid for Flint and includes the common-sense provisions in Title VII of S. 2848. The people of Flint have already waited too long-Congress must provide effective relief to help the community begin long-term recovery from this environmental and public health disaster."
Francis Gilcreast, president of the NAACP's Flint branch, told the Detroit News that "many local families can't host relatives and friends at Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the water."
"Psychologically, it's devastating to our citizens," Gilcreast told the local newspaper. "For our government to have done this and then turned its back on our citizens--there is no way that three years into this we should still be suffering with this."