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Flint update: The water may be cleaner, but the situation remains murky

The good news is that the most recent tests of its water system show that Flint, Michigan’s water has less than half the level of lead contamination that would trigger state and federal action. However, between dozens of court cases, ongoing work to find and replace lead-contaminated pipes, and hundreds if not thousands of people still scared to trust the water coming from their taps, fallout from the Flint water crisis is far from over.

On the court action front, newly elected Attorney General Dana Nessel announced several major changes on Feb. 21 to the way both the civil and criminal cases will be handled. During the press event, Nessel said that new Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud will take the lead on the criminal cases alongside Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who is famous for successfully prosecuting former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, among other cases. Todd Flood, an outside counsel who was originally appointed by former Attorney General Bill Schuette, will remain on the team.

Nessel further announced that she will take the lead on the 79 civil cases that have been filed against the state on grounds ranging from personal injury and property damage to alleged violations of the federal Clean Drinking Water Act. Nessel, a Democrat, also reversed course by announcing that she is in talks to settle many of those suits.

According to a Gongwer News Service report on the press conference, the attorney general did not announce whether or not her office plans to continue to pursue criminal charges against former Health and Human Services director Nick Lyon and former chief medical executive Dr. Eden Wells. The AG’s office has so far also refused to state whether charges may be brought against higher-ranking officials in the Snyder administration, including former Gov. Rick Snyder himself.

Nessel’s spokesperson Dan Olsen told Daily Kos that Prosecutor Worthy was added to the Flint criminal case team because she “has a depth and breadth of knowledge, and experience will be a valuable asset to the Solicitor General’s team.” While Olsen wouldn’t directly state whether or not former Gov. Snyder may eventually be charged, he added that, “anyone who our team finds criminally responsible in these cases or believes should be interviewed, will be interviewed and held accountable. No one is above the law.”



from Daily Kos https://ift.tt/2HeASUl

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