Senate MDEQ Budget
Continues Taxpayer Subsidy to Water Polluters
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For
Immediate Release:
June 5, 2003
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Contacts:
James
Clift. (517) 487-9539
Cyndi Roper (616) 742-4084
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Lansing
– Polluters would continue to discharge for free into
Michigan’s rivers, streams and lakes under a proposed
budget passed by the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on
Environmental Quality on Wednesday. Governor Granholm’s
budget had recommended ending the taxpayer subsidy that has
been in existence for the last twenty-two years, but the committee
rejected it, resulting in an additional $2.6 million dollar
cut to the program.
“Continuation
of this subsidy during our current budget crisis is a slap
to the face of Michigan taxpayers,” said Cyndi Roper,
Michigan Director of Clean Water Action. “Not only do
residents have to put up with toxic chemicals in their communities,
this budget makes them pay for it.”
Under current law, polluters that dump over one million pounds
of toxic chemicals into our lakes and streams get their permits
for free. Meanwhile, Michigan taxpayers have paid $5-$10 million
a year for the program costs related to issuing permits, monitoring
compliance and enforcing permit violations. The Governor’s
proposal would have required permit holders to pay users fees
in an amount sufficient to operate the program. The Senate
version includes some fees, but less than half of the amount
necessary according to the Department of Environmental Quality
workload analysis.
Due to our current budget crisis, failure to follow the Governor’s
recommendation will result in field staff cuts that insure
polluters are obtaining required permits and not exceeding
their discharge limits. Recent reports have documented the
inadequate nature of the current program that results in facilities
being inspected only every three or four years, and major
facilities are only subject to unannounced sampling inspections
every five to six year.
“The
recent PCB contamination of canals in Lake St. Clair Shores,
and dioxin contamination of the Saginaw and Tittabawasee Rivers
should be a wake up call to our elected officials that our
water resources protection programs need to be strengthened,”
said James Clift, Policy Director of the Michigan Environmental
Council. “Our water resources are too important to ignore,
we need to be vigilant in overseeing operations that emit
toxic chemicals into out waterways.”
The budget
is expected to see action before the full Appropriation Committee
next week. The authorizing fee bill may be before the Senate
Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
