LANSING, Mich. (AP) – The lead contamination of Flint’s water is “a story of government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, delay, inaction, and environmental injustice,” according to a task force created by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to investigate the crisis.
In their final report Wednesday, investigators also chided Snyder for his refrain that the situation represents a failure of local, state and federal government, saying that suggests all three were equally culpable when the state was “fundamentally accountable.” It listed decisions made by state environmental regulators and state-appointed emergency managers who controlled the city.
The unsparing report also cited “intransigence and belligerence” by state officials unwilling to admit they had erred, and their dismissal of news reports and complaints from residents about the water’s smell, taste and color.
A look at the panel’s findings and recommendations:
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