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When the Democratic presidential contenders meet on Sunday for their debate in Flint, Michigan — where thousands of residents have been poisoned by polluted water — the candidates’ records on clean water policy are likely to be in the spotlight. Hillary Clinton seems eager for that discussion, recently telling NPR: “The idea that you would have a community in the United States of America of nearly 100,000 people who were drinking and bathing in lead-contaminated water infuriates me.”
But despite that rhetoric, the issue of clean water may be politically perilous for the leading Democratic candidate, thanks to her vote against banning a possible carcinogen at the center of one of the largest water pollution scandals in recent history.
Facing reports that a controversial fuel additive was contaminating water supplies across America, Clinton as a senator in 2005 opposed a bipartisan measure to ban the chemical — even though Bill Clinton’s Environmental Protection Agency had first proposed such a prohibition. At roughly the same time, one major company producing the chemical also tried to use provisions in a trade deal backed by Hillary Clinton to force local governments in the United States to let it continue selling the toxic compound.
That's easy. To democrats, actions count for far less than words and intentions. If she SAYS she's against polluted water, that's all that matters.Where are you Hillary supporters? I'd like to know how you rationalize this.
Obama is due to receive a briefing on the federal effort to assist in the cleanup and to hear directly from Flint residents about the toll the contamination has had on their health and their lives. Obama said he plans to "use my voice to call for change" in Flint. The city's water system became tainted in 2014 when it removed itself from the Detroit water system and began drawing water from the Flint River to save money. Regulators failed to ensure the water was properly treated and lead from old pipes leached into the water supply. Two state officials and a local official have been charged with evidence tampering and other crimes in a Michigan attorney general's investigation. A federal investigation is also under way.
The White House announced Obama's trip by posting online a letter the president wrote to Flint resident Amariyanna "Mari" Copeny. The 8-year-old activist known as "Little Miss Flint" wrote to Obama last month to tell him she was coming to Washington to push lawmakers to do more for the city. In a letter dated April 25, Obama responded by telling Copeny that he wanted her to be first to know about his visit. He told her he hoped to meet her and promised to "use my voice to call for change and help lift up your community." "I want to make sure people like you and your family are receiving the help you need and deserve," Obama wrote.
Obama's visit comes as senators reached a bipartisan agreement on new federal aid for Flint. The package would authorize $100 million in grants and loans to replace lead-contaminated pipes in Flint and other cities, as well as $70 million in credit subsidies for loans to improve water infrastructure across the country. The deal also includes money for bolster lead-prevention programs nationwide.
The agreement is virtually identical to a one crafted earlier this year, but derailed by opposition from Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who said the state didn't need the federal aid. "We would certainly welcome a greater commitment, or frankly, any commitment from Republicans in Congress in responding to this situation," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday. Earnest said the president hoped to "demonstrate that while the public discussion of this situation doesn't retain the same spot in the limelight, the administration is committed to following through on helping that community recover."
Obama to visit Flint to discuss water crisis
