LANSING, Mich. (July 17, 2024) — Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) praised the announcement by the Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and U.S. Ecology of a consent order agreement to address hazardous waste violations in her district dating back to 2020. The $1 million agreement includes penalties, reimbursement to the state for enforcement costs as well as a significant sum for supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) to benefit the community through various public health protections.
“This consent agreement has been a long time coming and is a victory for those residents affected by this hazardous waste,” said Sen. Chang (D-Detroit). “I applaud the tenacity and hard work of the Detroit Hamtramck Coalition for Advancing Healthy Environments, who have advocated for a good quality of life for their neighbors for many years as they have faced numerous air quality and health concerns due to the facility.
“I look forward to seeing the development of the supplemental environmental projects and hope they will be designed with community input to maximize benefits to the neighborhood’s air quality. It is imperative and commonsense that communities affected by air pollution violations directly benefit from air quality fines collected by the state. That is exactly what Senate Bill 26 does and I’m proud that my legislation has advanced through the Senate and through the House committee process. I will continue working with my colleagues to prioritize environmental justice communities and ensure that we put a focus on protecting people’s health and safety.”