US. Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania called on Snyder to resign, saying he ignored media reports about widespread complaints about the taste and color of the water, as well as staff reports. Snyder told Cartwright he read the media reports but each time state bureaucrats told him the water was safe. "Plausible deniability only works when it's plausible," Cartwright told Snyder. "Pretty soon we will have men who strike their wives saying ... there were failures at all levels," Cartwright said. Cummings noted that Snyder's top legal adviser urged a return to Detroit water in October of 2014, and early in 2015 Snyder's then chief of staff urged action without further procrastination. "When we are dead and gone our grandchildren will suffer for what we failed to do," he said. Snyder and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy appeared jointly before the committee during its third day of hearings into what caused the Flint drinking water public health crisis and how to prevent a recurrence. Snyder testifies on Flint water U.S. Rep. says Snyder should face criminal charges over Flint water Who's at fault in Flint water crisis? Rick Snyder, EPA's McCarthy clash EPA head saw Flint problems getting 'big' months before taking action Dems say some Snyder officials won't cooperate Watch Rick Snyder testify live In his prepared remarks, Snyder said "I am not going to point fingers or shift blame; there is plenty of that to share, and neither will help the people of Flint." But the governor went on to say that an EPA water expert tried to raise the alarm about Flint water in February 2015, "and he was silenced." "Inefficient, ineffective, and unaccountable bureaucrats at the EPA allowed this disaster to continue unnecessarily," Snyder said in the prepared remarks. Cummings acknowledged failures by the EPA, but pivoted to again attack Snyder. The EPA should have acted sooner "to rescue the people of Michigan from Gov. Snyder's vindictive administration and utter incompetence," Snyder said. Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014, when the city, while under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, switched its drinking water source from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit water system to Flint River water treated at the Flint water treatment plant. The state DEQ failed to require the addition of needed corrosion-control chemicals as part of the treatment process, and the corrosive Flint River water ate into pipes, joints and fixtures, sending unsafe lead levels into Flint homes and businesses. The city returned to Detroit water system in October, but a potential hazard remains because of damage to the water distribution system. description credit below Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.Rep Matt Cartwright ----------------------ABSOLUTELY DESTROYS Michigan Gov Rick Snyder "YOU NEED TO RESIGN" . Flint, Michigan Water Contamination Gina McCarthy and Governor Rick Snyder (R-MI) testified at a hearing on the Safe Drinking Water Act and lead contamination of the water supply in Flint, Michigan. “I can’t even imagine my family having to go through that in the United States of America,”

• published: 17 Mar 2016
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