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A staggering court motion filed on Thursday by Michigan governor Rick Snyder’s administration seeks to block a federal court order that requires state officials to deliver water bottles to Flint residents without a verified filter, according to The Detroit News.

“The herculean effort required by the court order would be on the magnitude of a large-scale military operation,” Anna Heaton, Gov. Rick Snyder’s spokesperson, wrote in a statement obtained by The Detroit News. “The resources to accomplish this would only be available through the activation of the National Guard or the hiring of several logistics companies.”

Michigan officials filed the motion while they appeal the decision in a lawsuit brought by several advocacy groups. In the filing, attorneys for Michigan treasurer Nick Khouri and the Flint Receivership Transition Advisory Board asked Judge David M. Lawson to stay his order while they prepare for the appeal.

The motion says executing the order would cost at least $10.45 million a month, or $125 million annually, The Detroit News reports.

Last week, U.S. Circuit Judge Lawson ruled the state would be required to deliver four cases of water each week to Flint’s underserved residents affected by the ongoing water crisis.

Never mind that Flint residents have long endured lead-filled water that in some cases has led to chronic illness, the Michigan governor retains that the state would be drained of resources financially and physically. Flint’s water crisis began in April 2014, but was not acknowledged by public health officials until October 2015.

Community leaders argue that delivering water is the least the state can do to atone for the devastation of insufficient water.

“It’s sad that the State of Michigan continues to disenfranchise the community of Flint,” Pastor Allen Overton, a plaintiff and member of Concerned Pastors for Social Action, said in a statement to The Detroit News. “What happened to Gov. Snyder’s pledge that he would work to fix Flint’s drinking water crisis? This action today inflicts more harm on a city that’s already hurting.”

SOURCE: The Detroit News | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

SEE ALSO:

Flint Parents Sue School District Over Inadequate Services For Lead-Exposed Children

Flint Water Crisis Leads To High Rate Of Bacterial Illnesses

An Unnatural Disaster: A Closer Look At Flint’s Water Crisis
Federal State Of Emergency Declared In Flint, Michigan Over Contaminated Water Supply
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