LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Erika Geiss (D–Taylor) today released the following statement after the Michigan Senate voted along party lines to approve House Concurrent Resolution 1 without amendment, striking down Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2019-02, that would restructure the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) into the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
“Today’s Senate vote clearly illustrates that Michigan Republicans are not in the business of making sure our environment lives up to the ‘pure’ Michigan we all love. Instead, they seem to prefer to show love to the businesses in their back pockets who dictate their votes and prioritize polluters over the public’s health and safety. Millions of Michiganders have been suffering for decades with environmental crises in their very backyards and coming out of their faucets, without support from those elected to protect them — or the financial means to lift themselves up out of situations they did not create, or ask for.
“I look forward to finding ways to work with my colleagues so that we can ensure Michigan families have clean, safe drinking water and so that every child grows up an environment free from harm, no matter their ZIP code. It’s time we hold polluters accountable after decades of damage, and prevent future damage, and I remain committed to supporting Gov. Whitmer’s initiatives.”
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