It’s been over a year since the water crisis in Flint became international news.
On Wednesday, the United States House of Representatives approved $170 million to go towards replacing lead water pipe lines in Flint.
The Flint funding amendment to the Water Resources Development Act was co-sponsored by Congressman Dan Kildee, D-Flint, and Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Midland.
Moolenaar told us he understands the frustration people feel about how long it took to get this funding approved.
“I introduced legislation back in April and wanted to see this resolved much quicker,” he told us. “But it is great news that we are able to work in a bipartisan way, working with our Michigan delegation to put $170 million into the Water Resources Development Act, and that is a very positive step forward for Flint.”
According to Moolenaar, much of the hesitation to pass this legislation stemmed from uncertainty over what the federal government’s role should be in addressing issues of infrastructure.
“I made the case, as well as Dan Kildee and others, about the importance of the federal government stepping up because the [Environmental Protection Agency] really dropped the ball on this,” Moolenaar said.
“There were significant problems with the federal government’s approach, and in my judgment, we had a responsibility for federal funding to make things right.”
Listen to our conversation above for more.
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