Congressman Upton Delivers Floor Statement on the Flint Water Crisis — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00speaker I wish we weren't here today I
2. 0:02really wish we weren't wish this bill
3. 0:05was not
4. 0:06necessary but it
5. 0:09is in our hearts all of go out to the
6. 0:13folks of Flint Michigan the system let
7. 0:16them down at every level and that is
8. 0:19frankly
9. 0:21unacceptable all folks want is the peace
10. 0:23of mind that their governments are
11. 0:25looking out for their best interest and
12. 0:26their water is
13. 0:28safe this bill is a First
14. 0:30Step imagine if you went to draw a cup
15. 0:33of cold water from your kitchen faucet
16. 0:34and suddenly had to think about whether
17. 0:36it's safe to drink or
18. 0:37not now put yourself into the shoes of a
19. 0:41parent whose son or daughter has already
20. 0:43taken a drink from that faucet or made
21. 0:45coffee or infant formula what health
22. 0:49risk has your child already been exposed
23. 0:51to what do we do now how can we expect a
24. 0:56family to live dayto day without safe
25. 0:58drinking water and after all those
26. 1:01initial concerns you begin asking
27. 1:03yourself how is that situation possible
28. 1:06in the 21st century in the United States
29. 1:09of
30. 1:10America we've been looking seeking
31. 1:12answers to that question from EPA from
32. 1:15the state of Michigan and from others
33. 1:17but in the
34. 1:19meantime we know that part of the answer
35. 1:22certainly not the whole story is that
36. 1:25there was a terrible breakdown in
37. 1:27communication at every level of
38. 1:30government it is
39. 1:32sickening and it breaks your heart with
40. 1:35thousands of kids who indeed could be at
41. 1:39risk being poisoned from faucets that
42. 1:42they thought were
43. 1:44safe government officials knew there was
44. 1:46a serious cause for concern and failed
45. 1:48to inform the people of flint and many
46. 1:51of those officials did not even seem to
47. 1:54be effectively communicating and sharing
48. 1:56data among
49. 1:57themselves the EPA Regional office was
50. 2:00not telling headquarters about
51. 2:01everything the state was not telling EPA
52. 2:04everything and we don't know yet what
53. 2:07the city of Flint was telling the state
54. 2:09or
55. 2:09EPA that's got to be
56. 2:12fixed it's got to be fixed now the Safe
57. 2:16Drinking Water Act improved compliance
58. 2:18awareness act ensures that the public
59. 2:22learns of excessive lead levels in their
60. 2:24drinking water by setting forth how and
61. 2:27when States EPA and public water
62. 2:31utilities communicate their findings the
63. 2:35bill also strengthens public
64. 2:37notification rules when lead levels are
65. 2:39exceeded individual consumers will be
66. 2:41told when their own house tests positive
67. 2:44for lead problems and if the community
68. 2:47or States failed to notify the public
69. 2:50EPA will step in and do so they're
70. 2:54required to do that the bill also
71. 2:57requires EPA to create a Strate a
72. 3:00strategic plan for handling and
73. 3:01improving information flow among water
74. 3:04utilities the
75. 3:06states EPA and affected drinking water
76. 3:09consumers
77. 3:10before there is an enforcable lead
78. 3:13exceedence in drinking water let me
79. 3:15repeat that before lead levels get too
80. 3:19high finally this bipartisan Bill
81. 3:22requires consumer notification when
82. 3:24water being transported in a lead pipe
83. 3:26is so corrosive that in fact if could
84. 3:29leech into public drinking
85. 3:31water I want to thank all members of the
86. 3:34house for their support especially my
87. 3:35Michigan colleagues every one of which
88. 3:38from both parties signed as an original
89. 3:41co-sponsor of this
90. 3:43legislation I want to particularly thank
91. 3:45Mr kildy friend who led this effort I
92. 3:49thank my colleagues on the Energy and
93. 3:51Commerce Committee particularly Frank
94. 3:52palone John shimkus and Paul tono for
95. 3:55their advice coll collaboration and
96. 3:57support and also want to thank McCarthy
97. 3:59not two McCarthy Kevin McCarthy for
98. 4:03scheduling this at almost a moment's
99. 4:05notice and my lead Council on this
100. 4:08legislation Dave
101. 4:09McCarthy who helped write and improve
102. 4:13the
103. 4:14bill
104. 4:16introduced what is said on this floor
105. 4:18today will not do anything to ease the
106. 4:20mind of a parent in
107. 4:21Flint the entire situation breaks your
108. 4:24heart but we have a responsibility
109. 4:26working together as Republicans and
110. 4:28Democrats to fix the problem this bill
111. 4:31is an important step I reserve the
112. 4:33balance of