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Project Finds Great
Lakes States
Environmental Reporting Flawed
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For
Immediate Release:
April 11, 2002
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Contact:
Dave Dempsey
(517) 487 9539
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Report
Urges Governors to Sign ‘Right-to-Know Compact’
To Improve Reporting to the Public on Environmental Conditions
LANSING
- The Michigan Environmental
Council releases today the results from
a yearlong study comparing environmental conditions in the
eight Great Lakes states. In a 72-page report, “Greening
the Governments,” experts convened by MEC have
found that environmental data are so patchy and inconsistent
that it is impossible to determine the exact quality of the
region’s air and water. The report also urges Governors
of the eight states to sign a “Right-to-Know Compact”
creating the regional equivalent of an environmental report
card.
Co-chaired by Mary Gade, former
Illinois EPA Director, and Bill Rustem, environmental advisor
to former Michigan Governor William Milliken, the study covered
data from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
In the report, the experts note
exemplary efforts by some of the states to address long-standing
air and water pollution problems, but agree most of the states
are not moving swiftly enough to meet emerging challenges,
including sprawling urban development, water pollution from
diffuse air and runoff sources, and the development of cleaner,
less-polluting energy sources.
* Michigan land use trends,
trash generation rates, and clean energy policies are among
the worst in the eight-state Great Lakes region, while the
state has effective programs for air and water toxics control:
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Michigan
is second only to Wisconsin in the amount of land sprawl,
the report said, consuming 0.33 acres of developed land
per person.
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Of eight
model clean energy policies identified by the panel, Michigan
has only one, the least of any state, while Wisconsin has
seven.
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Michigan
generated 9.656 pounds per person per day of trash, more
than twice the rate of the best state, Wisconsin.
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Michigan
has the strongest program for controlling toxic air pollutants,
meeting 11 of 12 criteria identified by the panel.
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Toxic pollution
dumped directly into Michigan’s rivers and lakes by
industries in 1999 was the lowest in the region when compared
with the productivity of the industries.
“This report should challenge
the Governor, legislators and the public to address Michigan’s
inadequate performance in protecting our land and reforming
energy policy,” said MEC President Lana Pollack. “Our
success in dealing with toxic air and water pollution is largely
the result of programs we’ve had in place since the 1970s.
Becoming a Great Lakes leader means more than resting on our
laurels.”
“All eight of the Great
Lakes states are consuming significantly more land per person
with development today than they did 20 years ago,” said
Rustem. “This means less farmland and open space, greater
air pollution, increased pollution runoff to our lakes and
streams and in the long run, a severe impact on the region’s
economy.”
KEY FINDINGS OF REPORT
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States with
the greatest developed land per person, according to the
study, were Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Wisconsin
had 0.34 acres of developed land per person, Michigan 0.33
and Minnesota 0.31. Developed land per person is a measure
of inefficient land use and sprawl. New York (0.15 acres)
and Illinois (0.21 acres) consumed the least developed land
per person. (p. 35)
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States that
have made the least progress in addressing rivers and lakes
where polluted runoff or other “non-point sources”
violates water quality standards are Illinois (0%), Wisconsin
(0.1%) and Ohio (0.2%). Michigan has developed pollution
limits for 3.4% of affected rivers and lakes. The leading
state in the region is Pennsylvania, which has developed
limits for 15% of its streams. (p. 52)
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The state with
the lowest ratio of toxic water discharges to the Gross
State Product of the industries producing these pollutants
is Michigan, at 0.007 tons per $1 million in GSP. The state
with the highest ratio is Pennsylvania, at 0.28 tons per
$1 million in GSP (p. 29).
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States that
had the most days with unhealthy air pollution levels as
of 1999 were Pennsylvania (21) and Michigan (18). Minnesota
had the fewest – zero (p. 23).
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The state with
the highest ratio of toxic air emissions to the Gross State
Product (GSP) of the industries producing them is Indiana
(0.8 tons per $1 million in GSP). A high ratio means more
air toxics are released per unit of economic productivity
than in other states. The state with the lowest ratio is
New York (0.2 tons per $1 million in GSP). Michigan’s
ratio is 0.44 tons per $1 million of GSP. (p. 25)
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States that
have the highest population percentage served by community
drinking water with violations of health standards are Wisconsin
(15%) and New York (12%). Minnesota and Ohio had the smallest
population percentage served by systems with such violations
(1% each) Michigan’s affected population was 2%. (p.
28).
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The state that
generates the most trash per person is Michigan, at 9.656
pounds per person per day. Wisconsin generates the least,
4.174 pounds per person per day (p. 44).
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States with
the greatest number of programs and policies favoring clean
energy sources are Wisconsin (7 of 8) and Pennsylvania and
New York (6 each). Michigan had the fewest (1). (p. 59)
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The state with
the greatest number of programs and policies protecting
against exotic invasive species and conserving wetlands
and water flows is Michigan (5 of 9). New York and Illinois
had the fewest (2). (p. 61)
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