Lawmakers hear emotional testimony as Senate debates sweeping Michigan pollution reforms aimed at holding polluters accountable, aiding victims, and improving transparency on toxic sites and strengthening accountability for pollution and PFAS contamination.

Michigan Pollution Reforms – Senate Hears Powerful Testimony on New Polluter Pay Bills

The Michigan Senate Committee on Energy and the Environment, chaired by Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), heard hours of public and expert testimony this week on a sweeping set of bills intended to overhaul the state’s pollution laws. The six-bill package aims to shift cleanup costs to polluters, expand public access to information, and offer better legal remedies to Michigan residents harmed by contamination.

The committee heard deeply personal stories from citizens affected by toxic chemicals, as well as concerns from business, government, and environmental advocates. The bills focus heavily on PFAS contamination, which has plagued multiple communities across Michigan in recent years.

Six Bills Target Michigan’s Widespread Pollution Crisis

The legislative package, known as the Senate Polluter Pay package, consists of Senate Bills 385–387 and 391–393. They are sponsored by six Democratic senators: Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), Sue Shink (D-Northfield Twp.), and Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo).

The legislation seeks to address several longstanding weaknesses in Michigan’s environmental laws, including:

Requiring polluters to remove or treat more contaminated material rather than leaving it on site (SB 391).
Updating cleanup criteria based on evolving science (SB 392).
Streamlining rulemaking to improve detection standards (SB 385).
Allowing exposed individuals to recover medical monitoring costs before illness develops (SB 386).
Extending statutes of limitations so victims can seek justice even if harm is discovered years later (SB 387 and SB 393).

Supporters argue these reforms are long overdue in a state where more than 24,000 contaminated sites have been documented, with many unresolved.

Emotional Testimony Highlights Personal Toll of PFAS Contamination

Testimony offered to the committee painted a grim picture of the human cost of Michigan’s pollution crisis. Andrea Pierce, a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and member of the Anishinaabek Caucus, described the PFAS contamination affecting her hometown of Pellston.

“My village of Pellston has beautiful artesian spring water that we cannot drink,” Pierce said. “I am a water protector, and my own mother was a tribal elder who died of pancreatic cancer from PFAS exposure. Now I’m just waiting for another family member who will get sick and die from PFAS.”

Sen. Jeff Irwin raised broader concerns about Michigan’s long-standing aquifer contamination. “How many aquifers are we going to surrender to polluters before we get serious about protecting our water in Michigan?” Irwin said. “We can and should have better protections for water, and residents have a right to know about pollution in their backyard.”

Ann Arbor Water Manager Details Financial Burden on Cities

Dr. Becky Lahr, drinking water quality manager for the City of Ann Arbor, explained how water pollution creates rising costs for cities and taxpayers. “The price that the public pays for water depends on the quality of our source water,” Lahr told the committee.

Ann Arbor faces both PFAS contamination in the Huron River and a decades-old groundwater plume of 1,4-dioxane threatening its reservoir. “We have to spend municipal resources on monitoring and mitigating this threat because the polluter has never been required to clean it up at its source or stop its spread,” Lahr said. The city previously closed municipal wells due to industrial solvent contamination from the Gelman Life Sciences site.

Businesses and Environmental Groups Align in Rare Bipartisanship

While business groups often oppose added environmental regulations, some voices from the business community endorsed the bills. Jimmy Banish, Chief Operations Officer of The Bear Factory, framed the issue as one of corporate responsibility.

“The costs of pollution should fall on polluters, not on taxpayers, ethical businesses, or future generations,” Banish testified. “Responsible companies adapt under pressure, and it’s not fair to allow companies to artificially inflate their profit margins by evading accountability. This legislation doesn’t target business; it targets pollution.”

Statute of Limitations Reforms Seek to End ‘Barbaric’ Legal Gaps

Tony Spaniola, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, addressed what many consider one of Michigan’s most outdated legal hurdles—the state’s statute of limitations on hazardous substance claims.

“We have been shocked to learn that we have no recourse in the courts against those who caused the harm because of Michigan’s barbaric statute of limitations system,” Spaniola said. He urged lawmakers to adopt a “discovery rule”, allowing legal actions to begin when victims learn of contamination rather than when the pollution occurred.

EGLE Official Calls for Greater Transparency and Site Data

While not taking a formal position on the proposed legislation, Aaron Keatley, Chief Deputy Director of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), acknowledged major shortcomings in Michigan’s tracking of contaminated sites.

“Right now, our agency can’t say with confidence that we know where polluted sites are, how they are being addressed, or if they are being properly managed,” Keatley said. He added that the legislation presents “an opportunity to bring stakeholders together and work to set clear expectations and improve transparency.”

House Versions Mirror Senate Effort to Hold Polluters Accountable

Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) is sponsoring companion bills in the House. “There are over 24,000 polluted sites in our state, with too few of them being cleaned up and too many paid for by taxpayers — not polluters,” Morgan said. “People shouldn’t have to wait to get sick before they can ask for help.”

The Senate bills are pending further committee action.

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