LANSING — The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced on Monday that it approved a permit application to allow Nestlé to increase the amount of Michigan groundwater they pump for sale as bottled water, despite receiving 80,945 public comments opposed to the permit approval and only 75 in favor. The new permit will allow the company to pump 400 gallons a minute, up from 250 gallons a minute. In response, state Rep. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) issued the following statement:
“This is yet another example of this administration prioritizing profits over people. There is no other way to explain how the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality could approve Nestlé’s permit when more than 80,000 people contacted them to express their dissent and concern. This decision makes no sense fiscally or environmentally. Our state’s agencies should work for the people, not corporations. If we ever hope to restore faith in our government, it starts with decisions like these. We have to stand with the people and when the people say ‘no,’ we have to say ‘no’ too.”