Lead in Flint, Michigan’s Drinking Water: CRS Experts

April 8, 2016 R44448

Lead in Flint, Michigan's Drinking Water: CRS Experts

April 8, 2016 (R44448)

The following table provides names and contact information for CRS experts on issues related to emergency conditions in Flint, Michigan, associated with elevated lead concentrations in drinking water. On January 16, 2016, President Obama signed an emergency declaration for the area to provide relief. Various federal agencies have been involved in supporting state and local response efforts, including

short-term response actions, including provision of drinking water, water filters and filter cartridges, water test kits, and related items;
technical assistance to state and local health departments and health care professionals (e.g., case management for children with elevated blood lead levels);
technical assistance to the city of Flint and the state of Michigan on water system evaluations and improvements, optimization of corrosion control treatment, and reduction of lead leaching into drinking water;
long-term water quality monitoring, maintenance of reduced lead levels in tap water, water infrastructure improvements (including replacement of school water fixtures); and
social services for affected families, as appropriate.

The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been tasked to coordinate federal response efforts. The departments and agencies involved include HHS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Education, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Office of the ASPR provides periodic situation reports at http://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/Flint/Pages/default.aspx. Congress has held several oversight hearings on the situation in Flint and related matters, and Members have introduced a number of bills.

For more information on the federal regulatory role as it relates to the situation in Flint, see CRS Insight IN10446, Lead in Flint, Michigan's Drinking Water: Federal Regulatory Role, by [author name scrubbed]. Additionally, a CRS congressional distribution memorandum that provides information on selected federal authorities and programs relevant to the Flint incident and federal response actions is available from [author name scrubbed], Section Research Manager ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed]).

Legislative Issues	Name/Title	Phone	Email
Drinking Water Infrastructure
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Lead and Copper Rule, drinking water regulations, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Environmental Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
EPA, Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), general water infrastructure financing	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
EPA, risk assessment of exposures to lead, research on human health effects from lead exposure	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in Environmental Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Appropriations for EPA	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Environmental Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blood lead reference level, state lead poisoning prevention grants, health registries	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Public Health and Epidemiology	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Toxicology of lead poisoning	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in Environmental Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Medicaid: program eligibility, covered benefits, Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, Sec. 1115 demonstration waivers	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Health Care Financing	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Head Start and Early Head Start	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Social Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Social Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Social Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Maternal and Child Health block grant	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Social Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Education
Special education, early childhood education, early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities	Kyrie E. Dragoo Analyst in Education Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Elementary and secondary education	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Education Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Food and Nutrition
Department of Agriculture (USDA) food assistance programs	Randy Alison Aussenberg Specialist in Nutrition Assistance Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Food safety, diet and nutrition needs, medical nutrition therapy	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in Health Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Housing and Community Development
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes	[author name scrubbed] Specialist in Housing Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Community Development Block Grant	Eugene Boyd Analyst in Federalism and Economic Development Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
U.S. Emergency Management
Stafford Act, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declarations	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in Emergency Management Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in American National Government	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Stafford Act, FEMA grant assistance	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan program	[author name scrubbed] Analyst in American National Government	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Legal Issues
General environmental law, SDWA	[author name scrubbed] Legislative Attorney	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
General public health law	[author name scrubbed] Legislative Attorney	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]

Author Contact Information

[author name scrubbed], Coordinator, Analyst in Environmental Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

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Apr. 8, 2016

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Topic areas

American Law

Domestic Social Policy

Education Policy

Environmental Policy

Health Policy

Report Type: CRS Report

Source: EveryCRSReport.com

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