Bill package approved by Senate Natural Resources Committee hands over authority for environmental rules and permitting to unelected industry representatives

LANSING—The Michigan League of Conservation Voters released the following statements in response to news that the Senate Natural Resources Committee passed Senate Bills 652 and 653 on a vote of 4-1.

Decades of hard-learned lessons taught Michiganders that we cannot trust polluting industries to put public health and the protection of our air and water quality ahead of their own financial interests,” said Lisa Wozniak, executive director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “The last thing we should be doing is handing over authority for Michigan’s environmental protections to unelected, unaccountable individuals who have a financial stake in the very industries they would be charged with regulating.

“It is unfathomable that while our state is facing a growing crisis of confidence in our drinking water, Michigan leaders keep passing bills like these designed to weaken protections for our families and environment,” she continued.

In November, Governor Snyder created the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) in reaction to water contamination crises where a class of chemicals known as PFAS have turned up in communities across the state over the last few years. This is just one recent example of the threats to drinking water facing Michigan communities right now.