LANSING, Mich., April 28, 2022 — Today, state Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy) introduced HB 6059 to address concerns related to conflicts of interest on the Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC).
The ERRC was created to oversee the rulemaking of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). However, current state law allows corporate polluters to sit on this committee and set the rules governing how polluters are — or are not — held accountable for poisoning our communities. This legislation would correct this error by abolishing the committee and putting an end to its poor environmental practices.
Thousands of sites across Michigan are contaminated by a variety of chemicals — from PFAS to dioxaine to hexavalent chromium — largely due to corporations’ willingness to pollute Michigan’s air, water and land for the sake of profit.
“The fox guarding the henhouse does not work, and Michiganders deserve better,” Kuppa said. “They deserve clean air, safe water and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that protections are in place to prevent our communities from becoming hazardous.”
This bill is a re-introduction of HB 5452 from last term, which was part of the “Polluter Pay” package.