Gov. Rick Snyder

Under fire by his critics, Gov. Rick Snyder pledged Tuesday night to release his emails related to the Flint water crisis.

Snyder, in what observers said is the most important speech in his career, said his office would make his emails in 2014 and 2015 available on Michigan.gov starting Wednesday.

That step, Snyder said, would ensure that residents have answers about "what we've done."

"You deserve better, you deserve accountability, you deserve to know that the buck stops with me," he said, prior to making the announcement.

Snyder also went through a timeline and list of what steps the state has taken to prevent the crisis. He said he would take steps to add more National Guard troops on the ground to "ensure that every home we need to visit gets visited as soon as possible."

Addressing the missteps that led to the water crisis, Snyder discussed failures by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

He said the agencies began communicating about lead concerns in the Flint water supply in February 2015, but both were "ineffective in fully addressing and solving the problem."

"DEQ misinterpreted the water safety regulations and EPA did not act with sufficient urgency to address the concerns of one of its experts about DEQs approach and the risk of lead contamination," Snyder said.

Snyder declared a state of emergency for Genesee County on Jan. 5, and on Saturday, President Barack Obama approved Snyder's request for an emergency declaration in Flint, a move that frees up to $5 million in federal aid to be used to provide residents with safe, clean water.

In a cost cutting move, Flint switched its water source in April 2014 from the Lake Huron, treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, to the more corrosive and polluted Flint River. Because the state failed to require the use of corrosion controls, lead leached into the water from pipes and fixtures.

Following the switch, residents complained of the water's smell, taste and color, with some saying the water caused rashes and hair loss. Independent researchers who raised red flags about the water said it contained unsafe levels of lead were initially ignored by the state. Their findings were later confirmed by the state.

Snyder also addressed steps his office took in response to concerns raised by residents about led in the water.

In July 2015, Snyder said his office "proactively" asked about the "quality of Flint's water, test results and blood testing."

He said the DEQ told his office e that Flint was in compliance with the lead and copper rule. He said the department told his office "there was one concern with one house that was corrected and that there was nothing widespread to address."

In addition, Snyder said, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told his office that elevated blood lead levels "were to be expected because they follow a normal seasonal trend."

"These conclusions," Snyder said, "were later shown to be incorrect when the Department of Health and Human Services conducted a deeper analysis of the relevant data."

In mid-October, Flint reconnected to the Detroit water system after a "do not drink" advisory was issued by Genesee County on Oct. 1. The move cost about $12 million and was funded with $6 million from the state, $2 million from the city of Flint and $4 million from the Flint-based Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The crisis grew more complicated last week when state officials announced a spike in Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia, in the Flint area between June 2014 and November 2015. Officials say it's unclear whether the spike -- 87 cases, 10 of which resulted in death -- is connected to the contaminated water that's led to elevated lead levels in Flint residents.