February 10th, 2020

In early 2020, a handful of interest groups approached legislators on both sides of the aisle to promote a plan that would change the way unclaimed bottle deposit funds are allocated. Instead of being used for contaminated site cleanup under the current structure, the new proposal would redirect a portion of these funds to go directly to private sector beverage distributors. This plan would significantly reduce EGLE’s funding and would be disastrous for statewide efforts to clean up contaminated sites to protect our economy, public health, and the environment. The funds also currently facilitate brownfield redevelopment and provide grant opportunities to local units of government for waste reduction efforts.

Fortunately, the Governor and her team worked diligently behind the scenes to push back on these measures and helped ensure these bills were never brought to the floor for a vote. We hope for her continued support to oppose these short-sighted bills if they are brought up again during the lame duck period in late 2020 or during the next legislative session.

Here's How You Can Help