Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologizes for Flint water crisis

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said during his State of the State address Tuesday that he is "sorry" about the water emergency in Flint and "will fix it."

"You did not create this crisis and you do not deserve this," he said, speaking directly to residents of Flint. "Government failed you at the federal, state, and local level. We need to make sure this never happens against in any Michigan city." Snyder said he will release all emails from 2014 and 2015 related to the catastrophe, and will ask the state Legislature for a $28.5-million supplemental appropriation to cover immediate needs in Flint, including the cost of bottled water and filters, the Detroit Free Press reports.

While under the control of an emergency manager appointed by Snyder in 2014, the city's water source was switched to the polluted Flint River. Residents complained of the water's appearance and taste, and the number of children with elevated blood lead levels doubled. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson released a statement Tuesday to the Huffington Post, saying leaders in Flint "have failed to place the well-being of their residents as a top priority. The people deserve better from their local elected officials, but the federal bureaucracy is not innocent in this as well." Carson said the Environmental Protection Agency "knew well-beforehand about the lack of corrosion controls in the city's water supply, but was either unwilling or unable to address the issue." He did not mention Snyder or members of his administration.

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