{"id":6721,"date":"2023-10-25T11:26:55","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T15:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedems.com\/mccann\/?p=6721"},"modified":"2023-10-25T11:27:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T15:27:03","slug":"hold-polluters-accountable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/mccann\/2023\/10\/25\/hold-polluters-accountable\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills Introduced in Senate, House to Hold Polluters Accountable for Cleanups"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Current law has enabled polluters to stick taxpayers with burden of cleaning up over 10,000 \u2018orphaned\u2019 sites<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 25, 2023) \u2014 Today, Senator Jeff Irwin<\/b> (D-Ann Arbor) and Representative Jason Morgan <\/b>(D-Ann Arbor), along with Senators Erika Geiss <\/b>(D-Taylor), Stephanie Chang<\/b> (D-Detroit), Jeremy Moss<\/b> (D-Southfield), Mallory McMorrow <\/b>(D-Royal Oak), Sue Shink <\/b>(D-Northfield Twp), and Sean McCann <\/b>(D-Kalamazoo) introduced a seven-bill Polluter Pay legislative package in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature. The legislation (Senate Bills 605-611, House Bills 5241-5247) will set more stringent cleanup standards, increase transparency, prevent sites from becoming \u201corphaned\u201d and make it easier for those harmed by pollution to seek justice. The legislators were joined at the press conference by environmental advocates, business owners, and representatives of people and communities impacted by pollution.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMichigan\u2019s current laws make it very hard for the public and even for EGLE to know what is going on at polluted sites,\u201d Sen. Irwin said. \u201cA corporation can spill a toxic chemical, clean it up on their own recognizance and never tell anyone. Senate Bill 605 would end these secret cleanups and make a wide range of information public, including baseline environmental assessments and cleanup plans.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot allow polluters to leave contamination in place, making ever-growing portions of our land and water unusable,\u201d Rep. Morgan said. \u201cIf you are responsible for causing pollution, you should have to pay to clean it up. This legislation makes it clear that fencing off the land or closing drinking water wells is not a substitute for removing as much pollution as possible. Let\u2019s reclaim our state and ensure polluters, not taxpayers, pay to clean up their messes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of Ann Arbor is dependent on the Huron River for supplying drinking water to more than 140,000 people in the Ann Arbor area,\u201d said Molly Maciejewski, Ann Arbor Water Treatment Services Manager. \u201cDetections of PFAS in the river from upstream polluters forced the City to install treatment to remove PFAS, and the river continues to be vulnerable to contamination.\u00a0A plume of groundwater contaminated with 1,4 dioxane is spreading, putting our drinking water supply at further risk. Our state needs this legislation to hold polluters accountable and compel them to undertake real cleanups.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a small business owner in an industry that has all-too-often left communities to deal with polluted sites, I made the decision to protect people and our environment by switching to a much safer process,\u201d said Tami Parks, owner of Great Lakes Clothing Care and member of the Great Lakes Business Network. \u201cBusinesses that are doing the right thing have to compete against bad actors who believe they won\u2019t have to bear the costs of cleaning up any pollution they leave behind. This legislation would put us on a fair footing by requiring businesses to carry cleanup insurance that prices in the environmental risks of their operations.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A new report from For Love of Water (FLOW), \u201c<\/span>Making Polluters Pay: How to fix state law and policy to protect groundwater and Michigan taxpayers<\/a><\/span>,\u201d provides in-depth context for the history of Michigan\u2019s pollution cleanup laws and the need to prioritize cleanup rather than defaulting to restrictions on water and land use. Ninety-five percent of Michigan voters support requiring corporations who cause contamination to pay to clean up their pollution, rather than having taxpayers foot the bill, <\/span>according to polling<\/a><\/span> commissioned by Progress Michigan in August.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The seven bills in the Polluter Pay package are expected to be referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, chaired by Sen. McCann, and to the House Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation, chaired by Rep. Laurie Pohutsky.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bill descriptions:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n