Businesses leaders, health professionals, concerned citizens urge Gov. Snyder to veto DEQ oversight legislation

LANSING – A diverse group of more than 100 individuals from businesses and organizations across Michigan today submitted a letter to Governor Rick Snyder urging him to veto Senate Bills 652-653, known as the “Fox Guarding the Henhouse Acts.” The legislation would create two oversight panels within the DEQ that have a powerful say over environmental rulemaking and permit decisions.

The letter states in part:

“Together, Senate Bills 652 and 653 would undermine the State of Michigan’s ability to fulfill a fundamental role of government– safeguarding Michigan citizens and our natural resources from harm and degradation. Additionally, these proposals are likely to create an unfair advantage for a small subset of industries while simultaneously building another layer of bureaucracy that individuals and businesses must navigate during the regulatory and permit processes. We urge you to veto these bills”

We support stakeholder engagement and increasing transparency during the rulemaking process; however, our primary concern is the likelihood that industry representatives will hold undue influence over the processes that are designed to hold them accountable. Furthermore, Senate Bills 652 and 653 will likely result in policies that are bad for the health of the Michigan residents, especially for the most vulnerable among us, and will jeopardize fair competition within the marketplace.”

The legislation received final approval from the Michigan House of Representatives on June 12 and is now before the governor. The full letter is attached to this release.

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