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This website is authored by Lester Levy, Esq.
a founding member of JAMS.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Michigan

President Obama Appoints Water Czar to Address Flint Water Issues

January 21, 2016 by Environmental ADR Editor Leave a Comment

Yesterday evening, the Department of Health and Human Services designated Dr. Nicole Lurie, an agency assistant secretary, to lead the federal government’s response to the elevated lead levels allegedly found in the drinking water being provided by the City of Flint, Michigan, to its residents.  This designation came on the heels of a meeting between Flint’s mayor and Valerie Jarrett in Washington, D.C.  The federal government has elected to play a significant role in addressing this crisis, with President Obama signing an emergency declaration on Saturday which provided Flint with access to up to $5 million in federal funds.  The crisis began in 2014 when Flint stopped getting water from Detroit and began obtaining its drinking water from the Flint River in an effort to lower costs.

The appointment of a federal “czar” to coordinate a federal response to contamination of a local drinking water system is somewhat unusual.  However, it is likely that the political nature of this issue, coupled with the fact that  U.S. EPA may have been aware as far back as April 2015 that Flint’s water supply was at risk for lead contamination, likely contributed to this decision.  For those that watched the Democratic presidential debate on Sunday, the Flint water issues were discussed by the candidates, with blame not surprisingly being directed at Republican Governor Rick Snyder.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: In the News Tagged With: EPA, Flint, Michigan, water con

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About Me

lester-levy

I strongly believe in the value of mediation – said another way, environmental mediation really works. I would go even further: I believe that environmental disputes are perfectly suited to the mediation process – perhaps more so than any other area of legal practice. I have formed these views after mediating environmental cases for more than 20 years, throughout the United States, and having worked with thousands of lawyers, companies, insurance carriers, regulatory agencies and courts. My … Read more

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