Snyder To Meet With President Obama In Flint This Week
LANSING (WWJ/AP) -- While in Germany last week, there were reports Gov. Rick Snyder said his schedule could not accommodate a meeting with Barack Obama -- as the president was set to visit Flint on Wednesday. Now, it seems Michigan's leader will be meeting with the president after all.
Snyder was roundly criticized for the "too busy" reports, but he disputed accounts his staff said he was too busy to meet with Obama. He said he had said last week that he had a full schedule because he did not want to be the one confirming Obama's trip before it was officially announced by the White House.
Snyder has said there is already a good relationship between the state and the federal government.
"There's been a lot of good partnership going on with respect to the EPA working with the DEQ, the Departments of Health and Human Services working together at both the federal, state and local levels," Snyder said. "But let's continue that dialogue. So I think having the president come here is an opportunity to do that at the highest level."
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.
Snyder again urged city residents to run their kitchen and bath faucets for five minutes a day for two weeks to help flush lead particles out of pipes and recoat them with anti-corrosion chemicals. He said the state will cover the additional cost, which is being calculated.
While under state management, the city began using the Flint River for a water source in 2014 to save money but didn't treat the water for corrosion. As a result, lead leached from old pipes for 18 months. Flint switched back to a Detroit-area water system last fall but the lead problem still isn't fully solved.
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