Gov. Rick Snyder had previously turned down an invitation to speak before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Brett Carlsen / Getty Images
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is scheduled to testify before Congress Thursday on the government's role in Flint's water contamination crisis, which has left several of the city's residents at risk of serious health issues including lead poisoning.
Snyder is one of several officials whose agencies were heavily involved in Flint's water contamination issue who are expected to testify. The list includes people from Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and Virginia Tech, who sent a research group to Flint last summer to test the water for lead.
Last month, Snyder was accused of hiding from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, although his office contends that he never received an invitation to testify.
Gina McCarthy, the top administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will also testify today.
In an op-ed she penned for the Washington Post, McCarthy said the bulk of the responsibility was with the state. She wrote, "it is clear that, from day one, Michigan did not act as a partner" to the EPA, who is responsible for overseeing state's handling of public water systems.
Flint's water crisis began in April 2014, when a state-appointed emergency manager approved the switch from Detroit to the Flint River as the primary water source.
The water was not properly tested and ran through dilapidated pipes, which resulted in contamination, discoloration and the extremely high presence of lead. President Obama declared an emergency there in January.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/256ccAV
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