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Weeks after Michigan was rightly celebrated for putting the nation’s strongest protections in place against lead contamination of drinking water, Governor Snyder is signing off on a system that would make similar improvements nearly impossible in the future. It is highly unlikely the new polluter panels would have signed off on Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule reforms if they’d been given the chance — or, for that matter, any strong policies on toxic waste cleanups, sewage and toxic chemical dumping, clean air or protection of the Great Lakes.
The MDEQ Scorecard on Governor Snyder’s Dashboard shows the Agency denied less than one-half of one percent of pollution permit requests last year. That apparently wasn’t business friendly enough, so the polluter panels will ensure profits are put ahead of Michiganders’ health. The fox isn’t even pretending like it will guard the henhouse…
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