Politics

State Accuses Flint of Failing to Use Millions of Dollars to Replace Lead Lines

July 27, 2018, 8:04 AM

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Tension between Flint and the state continues to unfold.

The latest: A  letter Wednesday from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to the city's chief financial officer claiming Flint has ignored tens of millions of dollars in federal and state grant funds available for lead service line replacement, Beth LeBlanc of The Detroit News reports. 

The letter says that Flint has drawn only $27.2 million of the $167 million in state and federal funds that have been available since early 2017. 

“Recently the state was notified that the city is issuing partial contracts to SLR (service line replacement) contractors under the premise that the state is withholding funds from the city. This not accurate,” DEQ Administration Deputy Director Amy Epkey wrote in the letter.

Flint’s chief finance officer Hughey Newsome fires back with a statement explaining delays are due to staffing shortages within the city, ones that have existed “since emergency managers slashed positions."

 


Read more:  The Detroit News


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