Rick Snyder, former Michigan Governor, should expect charges in the catastrophic Flint water scandal and crisis.
What We Know:
- According to the Associated Press, an anonymous source has stated Snyder, his health director Nick Lyon, and other ex-officials are set to face charges in the crisis that resulted in contamination of the Flint water supply. The contamination affected almost 100,000 residents, mostly Black, and resulted in a Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak of at least 90 cases, and 12 deaths.
- In 2019, the original investigation was dropped with the promise of a new investigation. According to the unnamed source, the investigation has led to these new charges though the nature of the charges is currently unclear.
- In 2016, the state settled a class-action lawsuit case for over $600 million, most of which would go to “children who were exposed to lead-tainted tap water after officials changed the water supply.
- The Flint water crisis began when in 2013 government officials decided it was financially savvy to redirect the water supply to be sourced from the Flint River. The river, previously known, to be an unofficial waste disposal site, was intended to be a cheap alternative solution until a new water pipeline from Lake Huron was built. The contamination caused innumerable harm to a community that has never truly received justice.
This story is developing and we will provide updates as they are made available.