Environmental advocates are calling on the Michigan Legislature to pass a pair of bills to address air pollution.
In July, the Protecting Overburdened Communities Act was introduced in both chambers of the Legislature. It would require state regulators to consider the combined health impact of all pollutants rather than measure them separately when reviewing new projects.
Chris Gilmer-Hill with the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition says when communities are subject to multiple sources of pollution, it makes sense to measure the cumulative effects.
“We don’t get to pick and choose what sources of pollution we’re going to breathe into our bodies each day,” Gilmer-Hill said. “I don’t get to decide that Tuesday is going to be a sulfur dioxide day. I don’t get to pick that I’m only going to breathe concrete dust every other Wednesday. We know that our communities are dealing with all of these things at the same time.”
Gilmer-Hill says while federal air quality regulations may be relaxed, state governments can and must act to protect citizens. The bill would allow regulators to deny projects or impose added conditions prior to approval.
