Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Jerry_Williams69 t1_iybs02l wrote

Reply to comment by pickle443243 in How Bad is the Water? by Unfair_Good6326

The EPA was completely neutered during the Trump years. Did absolutely nothing for my community back in Michigan when a chrome plating company poisoned the Huron River with PFAS and hexavalent chrome. No fines, no lawsuits, no work stoppage, no remediation efforts, etc. Not sure if it is doing better now, but it the damage to the agency was extensive and left it unable to respond to glaring issues.

4

Effinehright t1_iyd4bjd wrote

To be fair MI doesn’t do shit for its people, I mean Flint has over half of Vermont’s population and last I knew the water had been unsafe for years. Not exactly apples to apples.

1

Jerry_Williams69 t1_iyd583j wrote

The MI DEQ is shit, but the EPA operates at a federal level and was totally worthless during the Trump years. It is apples to apples because the EPA is not a state level agency. I'm sure the EPA has improved some since 2020, but it has a big hole to climb out of. I wouldn't count on the EPA to be real helpful right now.

I was originally from the Flint area. Moved just before the Flint water crisis just to get poisoned by the Huron River a few years later lol. The 6 months in-house water filters in Flint are going on a decade old. It is still bad in parts of the city and surrounding areas. Could have been fixed by now, but the GOP killed funding at both the state and federal level. Now the issue is mostly forgotten even though it is still ongoing for lots of people.

1

Effinehright t1_iyd67np wrote

It’s not apples to apples, the standard is nationwide but the execution of cleanup is the state and municipality.

2

Jerry_Williams69 t1_iyd6qyx wrote

EPA can enforce standards, fine violators, bring up charges for violations, require cleanups, etc. The EPA will often defer to state level enforcement if their actions would be redundant. The EPA can and used to step in when cases are too big (like Flint) or local enforcement has failed.

1

Effinehright t1_iyd7oj8 wrote

So you’re verifying that it’s local until the local fails? Arguing to argue? Copy and Paste to prove it? Just remember to take your skis off before going in the lodge Jerry.

1

Jerry_Williams69 t1_iyd8jje wrote

What are you on about? Enforcement can be state level, federal level, or both. The EPA will defer to state level enforcement for smaller cases like some bumkin dumping oil in a pond. They used to get heavily involved in massive cases like the Flint water crisis. I'm just bringing downhill to where you already are ;).

1

Effinehright t1_iydbmxy wrote

Jerry slow down on being right and just listen. How was Michigan's water poisoned? If its any other answer than naturally occurring in the ground it is not apples to apples.

1