NORTHVILLE – State Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and Northville Township Supervisor Bob Nix met with residents at a town hall on Tuesday, April 16, to facilitate a presentation by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) regarding the operation of the Arbor Hills Landfill, followed by a question & answer session. Over 340 people turned out for the event to ask important questions and voice their concerns.

“It is important for residents to have the most accurate information and above all, to have their voice heard.” said Rep. Koleszar. “I look forward to continued conversations with residents, as well as the MDEQ, so we can continue to support our community.”

Attendees expressed an overwhelmingly support for further MDEQ testing of the Arbor Hills Landfill, stricter enforcement of environmental codes and more severe penalties for sites found in violation of MDEQ standards. To address those concerns, Rep. Koleszar and Sen. Polhanki recently introduced House Bill 4453 and Senate Bill 261 to hold polluters accountable by enabling regulators to issue fines up to ten times larger than currently allowable for air quality and solid waste violations by landfills. The bills have been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, respectively.

“Given our state’s abundance of natural resources, we have a duty to protect those resources and the jobs they provide for hardworking families by holding polluters accountable,” said Rep. Koleszar. “Our state must be a leader in the fight for responsible management and preservation of the environment by providing a more effective tool for regulators to use in the fight against pollution.”