Chaffetz visits Flint to prep for hearings

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is heading to Flint, Mich., on Saturday to witness the city’s water crisis first-hand ahead of hearings on the issue this week.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman is scheduled to meet with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and tour the city’s water plant before attending an open house at a local school put on by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Washington Examiner reported.

{mosads}Chaffetz’s committee is scheduled to hold two hearings to discuss the government’s response after learning of the lead contamination.

At the first hearing Tuesday, Flint’s former Mayor Dayne Walling and former Emergency Manager Darnell Earley are expected to testify alongside the EPA’s former Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman.

On Thursday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will testify.

Flint’s water crisis started in 2014 after an emergency manager appointed by Snyder switched the city’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money, but failed to treat the water with chemicals to eliminate lead from leaching out of corroded pipes.

State officials have been criticized for ignoring residents’ concerns and resisting federal assistance in treating the water. 

Lawmakers have also questioned why the EPA did not step in sooner to address the crisis.