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Indiana Governor Pledges State Aid For East Chicago Lead Problems

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb told East Chicago officials that the state will do all it can to address the city’s lead contamination problems.


By  The Associated Press and Michael Puente
   

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EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb told East Chicago officials that the state will do all it can to address the city’s lead contamination problems.

Holcombtraveled Friday to East Chicago for a meeting with U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, Mayor Anthony Copeland and representatives of local community groups. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports Holcomb said he feels the city “will be in a better place” once the decades-old lead pollution is addressed.

About 80 of 340 families remain at a public housing complex that residents must move away from because of lead- and arsenic-contaminated soil. Holcomb issued a state disaster declaration city last week that focuses on helping find new homes for the remaining residents.

Vice President Mike Pence faced criticism for not approving a disaster declaration while he was governor.

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