In a wide wide-ranging interview with the National Journal, Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan admitted that he knew about the water contamination in Flint since last year. But the Republican governor also said that although he knew about the dangerous leadi levels in Flint’s water supply, he was not stepping down from office because he wants to “solve this problem.”
A problem he wilfully created, mind you.
The Journal reports;
“It’s a disaster,” he said when asked about the comparison some critics have made to the 2005 natural disaster in New Orleans that became a symbol of government mismanagement—city, state, and federal. “It’s clearly a negative on what we’ve accomplished since I’ve been governor.”
In a wide-ranging interview on the eve of his state of the state address, Snyder said he knew last summer about his top aide’s concerns that Flint residents were “getting blown off” by the Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality. The MDEQ waved off his office’s concerns, Snyder said. He accepted responsibility for the lack of adequate follow up, but the twice-elected GOP governor said he would not heed calls for his resignation.
“I want to solve this problem,” Snyder said. “I don’t want to walk away from it.” Both MDEQ’s director and chief spokesman were forced to resign, and Snyder has taken several steps—albeit belatedly—to help Flint identify the extent of the contamination and to respond to it. He said more action will be revealed in Tuesday night’s address
