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 Former Mayor Dayne Walling and former emergency manager Darnell
Earley, who was appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, are
among witnesses who will testify at two days of hearings by the U.S.
House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The water crisis has drawn national attention and led to heavy
criticism of Snyder, with some voters mounting a petition drive to
have him recalled. Snyder, who has repeatedly apologized for the
state's poor handling of the crisis, is scheduled to testify on
Thursday.
The switch of Flint's water supply from Detroit to the Flint River
in April 2014, made in a cost-cutting move, was made while Earley
was the city's emergency manager.
The city switched back to the Detroit water system last October -
after Earley had left the position as emergency manager - but the
river's corrosive water leached lead from city pipes, causing a
serious public health threat.
 Earley, who will appear in front of the House committee on Tuesday,
the first day of the hearings, in his written testimony blamed state
and federal officials.
"Unthinkable errors all underscore that Flint’s crisis resulted from
improper treatment of the water, an issue which fell squarely in the
bailiwick of (the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality) and
EPA," Earley said in the testimony released by the committee.
"We relied on the experts to verify that the water would not pose
any threat to the community - the experts failed all of us," he
added, citing state environmental officials and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
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"I now wish that I had been more probative in my approach in delving
deeper into the explanations I was receiving about what was being
done," he said.
The EPA's former regional director, Susan Hedman, who resigned after
criticism of her handling of the crisis, will also be among those
testifying on Tuesday.
Walling, the former mayor, said in his written testimony: "The
state’s focus on balancing the city’s books and choosing low cost
over human consequences created more expensive public problems." He
was also critical of the EPA.
He added that questions raised by EPA officials about Flint's water
"were not accurately addressed" by the state environmental
officials.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, who will testify on Thursday, said
in a Washington Post editorial on Monday that the state was
"dismissive, misleading and unresponsive" with federal officials.
But she said the EPA also missed opportunities.
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