Governor’s budget puts pressure on Legislature to deliver bold vision for water
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018
LANSING – Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters today said Governor Snyder’s budget proposal lacks the bold vision and funding needed to tackle the monumental challenges facing Michigan’s water – putting pressure now squarely on the Legislature to step up.
Although Gov. Snyder’s budget includes incremental steps toward improving waste management and cleaning up some contaminated sites, it lacks the bold vision needed to tackle the monumental challenges facing Michigan’s water quality crisis,” Wozniak said. “Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle now must work together to craft a broader, all-hands-on-deck strategy to address the threats facing Michigan families and their drinking water.”
The Governor’s own 21st Century Infrastructure Commission studied Michigan’s drinking water systems for almost a year and determined in December that the state needed to spend about $1 billion a year more to address issues that could affect public health.
Unprecedented drinking water threats are facing residents all over the state – from families in Rockford and Oscoda grappling with industrial chemicals in the water coming out of their taps to communities like Detroit, Flint and Dearborn dealing with lead pipes.