Governor Rick Snyder will create a commission this week that has the mission of tackling the problem of lead exposure. A top administration official says the governor will also ask the Legislature to pass a law to make the commission permanent until the problem is solved.
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley broke the news to a group of lead abatement activists meeting in Lansing. He says the governor will also soon send the Legislature his proposed new lead and copper standards for drinking water.
He acknowledges this is largely a response to the Flint water crisis. But Calley says dealing with lead in water addresses only part of the problem.
“We could completely eliminate every risk in every water system and we would still have lead issues with paint, soil, and dust,” says Calley, who’s been a key leader in the Snyder administration’s response to the Flint crisis.
Calley says dealing with lead exposure is a complex “generational” problem that will require many years to fully resolve. But he says the goal should be zero exposure to lead.
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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
