Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Michigan AG Promises 'More To Come' After Announcing Charges Against 3 Officials In Flint Water Crisis
The New York Times: Flint Water Crisis Yields First Criminal Charges
Three government workers were charged with crimes on Wednesday for their roles in this city’s water crisis, accused in part of covering up evidence of lead contamination. The workers — an employee of Flint and two state workers assigned to monitor water quality in cities — are the first to face criminal charges in connection with the failures that left residents of this city drinking foul and unsafe water for many months. (Davey and Perez-Pena, 4/20)
The Associated Press: Details About The 3 Officials Charged In Flint Water Crisis
The first criminal charges have been filed in Flint’s lead-tainted water crisis, including allegations that two state regulators and a Flint water plant supervisor tampered with evidence and that the state regulators knowingly misled U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials and the county health department. The Michigan city switched from Detroit’s drinking water system to the Flint River in April 2014 as a cost-saving measure, but failed to treat river water with corrosion-control chemicals — an omission that allowed lead to leach from aging pipes and fixtures and contaminate tap water for 18 months. Here’s who was charged Wednesday and their connections to the crisis. (Webber, 4/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Three Officials Criminally Charged Over Flint Water Crisis
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced charges against Stephen Busch, who was a district supervisor in the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance during the water crisis; Michael Prysby, a former district engineer with the DEQ; and Michael Glasgow, a supervisor at Flint’s water-treatment plant. Messrs. Busch and Prysby were each charged with three felony counts, including for allegedly misleading federal environmental officials and tampering with evidence related to lead testing of Flint’s water. Mr. Prysby faces an additional felony count for authorizing the operation of the Flint water-treatment plant when he allegedly knew it couldn’t provide safe drinking water. The men also face two misdemeanor counts. (Maher, 4/20)
