Title
Resolution Expressing Support for Michigan Senate Bill 58 and House Bill 4314 - Holding Polluters Accountable
Body
Whereas, The cleanup of contaminated sites in Michigan is of paramount public importance;
Whereas, The cleanup of contaminated sites with impacted groundwater is particularly important because contaminated groundwater does not remain static in the environment;
Whereas, The current PFAS crisis, the Gelman 1,4-dioxane plume, and increasing algal blooms in the Great Lakes from nutrient pollution are all warning signals that we must do more to address water pollution;
Whereas, In July 2022, Tribar Manufacturing, located in Wixom, Michigan, negligently discharged toxic chemicals that endangered public health and the environment;
Whereas, Under current law, polluters are not always required to clean up contamination to residential standards and generally can simply restrict access to a site or aquifer instead of meeting residential standards;
Whereas, Senate Bill 58 and House Bill 4314 would require polluters to clean up contamination they cause to residential standards and restore affected aquifers to drinking water standards, unless meeting those standards would be technically infeasible; and
Whereas, Senate Bill 58 and House Bill 4314 would make it more difficult for polluters to use institutional controls as a substitute for active remediation;
RESOLVED, That the Ann Arbor City Council calls for hearings to be held, and the legislature to adopt SB 58 and HB 4314; and
RESOLVED, That the Ann Arbor City Council requests the City Administrator to support all efforts to get SB 58 and HB 4314 passed into law and communicate the Ann Arbor City Council’s support for this legislation to any relevant party.
Sponsored by: Councilmembers Griswold, Hayner, Briggs, Disch, Eyer, Radina, Grand, Ramlawi, and Song