Issued on March 21, the Final Report of the Flint Water Advisory Task Force (FWATF) pulls no punches in its critique of Michigan public agencies and elected officials for their primary role in causing the lead crisis in Flint. The first line of the Executive Summary sums up the tone of the report, stating: “The Flint water crisis is a story of government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, delay, inaction, and environmental injustice.”
Commissioned by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, the report provides a detailed look at the many failures that culminated in the Flint lead crisis. Extensive failures are identified at all levels of Michigan government, from agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health and Human Services to the State Emergency Manager and the Governor himself. Though not identified as a primary contributor in causing the crisis, EPA is also called out strongly for its lack of aggressive action to intervene and enforce Lead and Copper Rule requirements.
Each section of the report culminates in a set of specific findings and recommendations related to the failures identified. Taken together, the FWATF presents a comprehensive list of 44 recommendations based on 36 findings intended to rectify the issues identified in Flint, in the state of Michigan and at EPA.