FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it worked within the framework of the law to “repeatedly and urgently communicate” steps that the state of Michigan and city of Flint needed to take to properly treat Flint’s water.
An EPA spokeswoman said Thursday that the agency’s ability to oversee the situation in Flint was limited by “resistance and failures at the state and local levels to work with EPA in a forthright, transparent and proactive manner.”
A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says the EPA waited too long to take enforcement action after learning of elevated lead levels in Flint’s water. The report says the federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to act 30 days after notifying the state and water utility of a violation.
