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Fact
Sheet
- GM Appeal and the Clean Air Act We are pleased to announce that negotiations have resulted in an agreement with GM which will protect public health and address the environmental concerns of neighborhood residents, the Michigan Environmental Council, and Ecology Center. As a result of this agreement, none of the parties will proceed with an appeal of the air permit for the Lansing Craft Centre. Today's agreement calls for the company to cut 130 tons of dangerous VOC emissions from its nearby Lansing Car Assembly (Verlinden) assembly plant if emissions from the Lansing Craft Centre exceed a predetermined threshold. GM has also agreed to engage in aggressive pollution prevention efforts to reduce emissions at the Craft Centre before it becomes fully operational. Lastly, GM will test the pollution control effectiveness of its basecoat paint water-wash process, so that better data will be available for future permitting decisions. The Michigan Environmental Council and Ecology Center would like to thank those workers, area residents and concerned citizens who supported our efforts to work out a solution that both limits pollution in the adjacent neighborhoods and allows GM to proceed with construction of the SSR. We are pleased that these difficult negotiations have resulted in a cleaner, more robust operation for Lansing, and will provide a healthier neighborhood for all residents and workers. Despite this agreement, we acknowledge that underlying issues pertaining to the permit's compliance with the Clean Air Act are unresolved and may arise when the MDEQ reissues the air permit for the Delta Township plant. This week we plan to call on officials at both the EPA and MDEQ to review the process followed in issuing the Craft Centre permit, and take the necessary steps to avoid a recurrence of the same problems. This agreement
reinforces our belief that advances in technology allow us
to build automobiles without exposing workers or our communities
to harmful levels of pollution. The Michigan Environmental
Council and Ecology Center invite others to join in our work
to protect the public health of our communities.
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