The urgent lead crisis in Benton Harbor has garnered the attention of the national news media and is the focus of growing criticism in the state. Last week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent her Lt. Governor to Benton Harbor after news broke that her administration knew for years that there were harmful levels of lead in the drinking water, and didn’t warn residents the water was unsafe or provide alternatives like bottled drinking water until recently. Today, Whitmer is on the road again but not to Benton Harbor. Instead, she held an event today over 200 miles away in Lake Orion.
Some recent news coverage of the Benton Harbor lead water crisis includes:
ABC World News Tonight: COMMUNITY DEMANDS ANSWERS: Residents are voicing concerns over dangerous lead levels as officials distribute bottled water.
NBC Nightly News: Benton Harbor, Michigan faces water crisis amid unsafe lead levels
“Michigan officials have known about the elevated lead levels in Benton Harbor for three years but just started distributing bottled water to residents two weeks ago.”
Bankole Thompson in The Detroit News: Democrats ignore Benton Harbor water crisis
“Whitmer shouldn’t send deputies to Benton Harbor. She needs to go there herself and sit down with the families who just found out that they’ve been drinking water exposed to lead.”
NBC News: Echoes of Flint: Lead in Benton Harbor water must be addressed right away, outraged residents say
“How do you justify three years of documented contamination and do nothing?” said Edward Pinkney, head of the Benton Harbor Community Water Council.
Detroit News Opinion: Whitmer’s Benton Harbor response highlights her hypocrisy
“The Whitmer administration’s failure to act surely and swiftly in Benton Harbor is unfathomable, given how Snyder was indicted on criminal charges for a similar situation in Flint. Does she not fear Attorney General Dana Nessel filing criminal charges against her, for the very same reasons?”
“The Whitmer administration failed to warn Benton Harbor residents of unsafe lead in their water for years. Instead of going to the frustrated families who want answers, Whitmer continues to avoid the city of Benton Harbor,” Michigan Freedom Fund executive director Tori Sachs said. “While promising all hands on deck, Whitmer continues to be missing in action. This is exactly the kind of out-of-touch response we’ve grown to expect from Governor Whitmer, but ignoring the lead water crisis in Benton Harbor isn’t going to make it go away. The people of Benton Harbor deserve real accountability, in person, from their governor.”
The Michigan Freedom Fund works to advance conservative ideas, hold our government accountable to taxpayers, and protect Freedom, opportunity, and workers’ Constitutional rights. For more information, please visit MichiganFreedomFund.com.
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