Michigan Rising Action Calls on Attorney General to Investigate Benton Harbor Water Crisis Michigan Rising Action Calls on Attorney General to Investigate Benton Harbor Water Crisis - Michigan Rising Action

Michigan Rising Action Calls on Attorney General to Investigate Benton Harbor Water Crisis

Michigan Rising Action Calls on Attorney General to Investigate Benton Harbor Water Crisis

December 13, 2021

Lansing, Mich., December 13, 2021 – The state’s Flint water investigation and response to the Benton Harbor water crisis has revealed a dangerous double standard. In the Flint case, Nessel is charging former Gov. Rick Snyder for failing to declare a state of emergency in a timely manner. Meanwhile, Gretchen Whitmer has yet to declare an emergency in Benton Harbor over three years after tests showed high lead levels in the City’s drinking water.

The severity of the situation in Benton Harbor is comparable to that of Flint. Testing has revealed that the amount of lead in Benton Harbor’s water is at 22 Parts Per Billion (PPB), exceeding Flint’s, which was at 20 PPB during the peak of their crisis. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Whitmer administration had known about the presence of lead in Benton Harbor’s water going back to the beginning of her term in 2019. Worse, the Governor failed to notify residents that anti-corrosion measures were failing and that the water was unsafe to drink until a few months ago. Now, many are questioning how Dana Nessel can continue to pursue charges against the former Governor while ignoring that the Whitmer administration was negligent in Benton Harbor for years.

As Nessel’s messy investigation into Flint continues, Michiganders await to see if she will investigate Governor Whitmer’s handling of the Benton Harbor water crisis. While Nessel has issued press releases warning consumers of bottled water price gouging, she has taken no action investigating the actions or inactions made by Michigan’s government leaders.

“Dana Nessel has used the power of her office to advance her political agenda, whether it be nursing home death or the Flint water crisis,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Nessel’s unwillingness to investigate critical issues in our state is a dereliction of her duty for the sake of political expediency.”

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