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Flint Mayor Karen Weaver (file photo)
These days there's not a lot of news coming out of Flint worth getting excited about.
But Friday was an exception.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said she was "excited and grateful" about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision on Friday to award a $100 million grant to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in the beleaguered town. On top of that, Michigan is providing the required 20% match of $20 million.
The funding will enable Flint to accelerate and expand its work to replace lead service lines and make other critical infrastructure improvements, the EPA said in a press release.
“We are excited and very grateful to receive these much needed funds,” said Flint Mayor Karen Weaver in a statement. “The City of Flint being awarded a grant of this magnitude in such a critical time of need will be a huge benefit. As we prepare to start the next phase of the FAST Start pipe replacement program, these funds will give us what we need to reach our goal of replacing 6,000 pipes this year and make other needed infrastructure improvements. We look forward to the continued support of the EPA and federal government.”
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement that “the people of Flint and all Americans deserve a more responsive federal government. EPA will especially focus on helping Michigan improve Flint’s water infrastructure as part of our larger goal of improving America’s water infrastructure.”
