And Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has sued the private water corporation Veolia for fraud and negligence during the ongoing Flint water contamination crisis. Veolia, one of the largest for-profit water companies in the world, was hired by Flint in 2015 to address the city’s water quality. At the time, Veolia produced a report falsely claiming the water was safe to drink. The Michigan Attorney General’s Office also sued Texas-based company LAN, which was hired to prepare the city’s water plant and treat the water. This is Attorney General Bill Schuette announcing the lawsuit.
Attorney General Bill Schuette: “In Flint, Veolia and LAN were hired to do a job, and failed miserably. They failed miserably in their job, basically botched it, didn’t stop the water in Flint from being poisoned. They made it worse. That’s what they did. Our criminal investigation is ongoing, and as I stated and as I guaranteed, more charges to come, so stay tuned.”
Flint’s lead poisoning began when an unelected emergency manager appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder switched the source of the city’s drinking water to the corrosive Flint River. Today, the water in Flint is still poisoned and unsafe to drink.