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Clean
Water Enforcement
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| PIRGIM
Education Fund Advocate Brian Imus releases the report
In Gross Violation in October 2002, which found
that, on average, facilities in Michigan exceeding their
Clean Water Act permits for highly hazardous chemicals
did so by more than 20 times the legal limit. Photo:
WOOD- TV |
Michigan
ranks second worst in the nation for the number of chronic
industrial polluters violating the Clean Water Act. PIRGIM
Education Fund is calling on the state to do a better job
of enforcing laws, such as the federal Clean Water Act,
that protect our health and environment from pollution and
make sure polluters, not taxpayers, pay for enforcement.
Proving
The Need For Stronger Enforcement
PIRGIM Education Fund released multiple publications last
year to detail the effects of water pollution and the need
for enforcement of clean water laws, including Permit
to Pollute (August 2002), In
Gross Violation (October 2002) and The State
Of Environmental Enforcement (November 2002).
The
three reports, released with coalition partners including
the Michigan Environmental Council and the League of Conservation
Voters Education Fund, generated excellent media coverage,
further spreading our message to citizens across Michigan.
Television stations in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Traverse
City highlighted our findings, and the report releases spurred
ongoing coverage of the issue, including editorials in the
Detroit Free Press, Ann Arbor News, Macomb
Daily and Grand Rapids Press.
|
|
| Released
in August 2002, this report showed that more than one
in three of Michigan’s largest industrial and municipal
facilities were in serious violation of their federal
Clean Water Act permits at least once during a recent
15-month period. |
Along
with several statewide environmental groups, PIRGIM Education
Fund also created the Stand Up for Michigan's Water coalition.
During the 2002 elections, the coalition educated decision-makers
and the public about our clean water agenda, prompting over
70 candidates, including current Gov. Jennifer Granholm,
to sign our Pledge to Stand Up for Michigan's Water.
State
Stops Doing Business With Clean Water Act Violators
Post-election, we worked with Gov. Granholm's transition
team, sharing our research on Clean Water Act violations
as well as specific recommendations from our State of
Environmental Enforcement policy paper.
On Jan.
2, 2003, Gov. Granholm followed through on her pledge and
banned the state from doing business with any company that
breaks Michigan law, including Michigan's environmental
laws. This is a key first step toward cleaning up Michigan's
waters.
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Use And Liveable Communities | Cleaning
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