Paul Egan

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday began releasing what officials said are an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 e-mails related to Flint drinking water and the Flint water crisis, sent and received by him or officials in his office, dating back to 2011, the year he took office.

According to a news release, all materials being revealed will be available at www.michigan.gov/snyder. Links to the first two batches of e-mails released Friday are here and here. Late Friday, afternoon, the governor released three more batches, which can be found here and here and here.

The Free Press published stories Friday based on the early release of 550 e-mails that Snyder officials had determined would likely be of interest to the news media and the public. But Jarrod Agen, Snyder's chief of staff, said the governor is planning to release all Flint e-mails from his office, with the exception of ones that are subject to attorney-client privilege.

“Michigan residents have a right to get answers to any questions they still have," Snyder said in a news release.

How Flint's water crisis unfolded

"With the release of these e-mails, anyone will have access to this information,” he said.

Snyder's office is not subject to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, though there is building pressure on Snyder and the Legislature to amend the law to include both the governor's office and the Legislature. Michigan is one of only two states that exempts the governor and Legislature from the public disclosure law.

In January, Snyder released more than 270 pages of executive office e-mails. But those were only ones sent or received by him, and they only covered the years 2014 and 2015.

In February, he released all Flint water records that had already been the subject of FOIA requests processed by state agencies, notably the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department.

Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 after the city, while under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, switched its drinking water supply from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit water system, to Flint River water treated at the Flint water treatment plant.

Top Snyder aides urged going back to Detroit water

The state Department of Environmental Quality has acknowledged it failed to require the addition of needed corrosion-control chemicals. As a result, officials believe the more corrosive river water caused lead to leach from pipes, joints and fixtures, sending lead-contaminated water into an unknown number of Flint households, schools and businesses. The city switched back to Detroit water in October, but a public health emergency continues because of danger to the water distribution system.

Snyder said in today news release the Flint crisis "is the result of failures at all levels of government — city, state and federal."

"We need to look at what happened at all levels, but as the one ultimately responsible for what happens in state government, I am taking steps to help correct what happened there. I will continue to take steps that will help make things right and support Flint along its road to recovery," he said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.