Health & Fitness
State Must Hold Corporate Polluters Accountable, Boritzki says
Boritzki, Candidate for state House of Representatives 23rd district, calls for restoration of polluter pay laws to protect drinking water.
Tom Boritzki, Democratic candidate for the 23rd district in the state House of
Representatives, today called for restoring Michigan’s polluter pay laws,
including increased oversight and accountability for corporations.
“When corporate polluters dump pollutants that endanger our Great Lakes, rivers and public health, they should clean it up and be held accountable,” Boritzki said. “The Enbridge oil spill in the Kalamazoo River was a wake-up call that we need tough laws that warn big corporations that they will be held accountable. It’s time
Lansing politicians stand up to corporate polluters and restore Michigan’s law
making them pay.”
Since January 2011, the state House Republicans passed laws that weaken state’s government oversight of corporations’ clean-up of polluted sites:
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- Senate Bill 1090 significantly reduces the state’s oversight of companies that are supposed to cleanup after they pollute the groundwater with toxins that harm our lakes and streams. The law also eliminates the requirement that polluters hold public hearings about the hazardous substances which greatly reduces the residents’ right to know what is in their drinking water.
- Senate Bills 528-533 hinder the state’s ability to require that companies with leaking underground storage tanks show they have actually cleaned up the contamination.
Republicans also put families’ health at risk when they allow polluters to continue to shirk their responsibilities. There are more than 7,000 known sites with leaking
underground tanks in Michigan, placing Michigan residents at risk for illnesses
due to water contamination. Without government oversight, companies have little
incentive to fix the leaking tanks.
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“No matter what your political stance, everyone has to drink water, and many of us get our water from wells,” Boritzki said. “We have to ensure these underground tanks don’t pollute our drinking water, not make it easier
for the tank owners to get away with doing nothing. This is about protecting our children’s health and safety.”
Incumbent Rep. Pat Somerville, a Republican, voted for bills that would effectively allow polluters to keep polluting Michigan’s great lakes, forests and rivers.
Former state Rep. Kathleen Law agrees with the House Democratic plan that government oversight is vital for environmental and public health protection. Law used to represent the 23rd district and is now part of former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps.
“I am proud of the Democrats’ work to protect the quality of life of Michigan families,” Law said. “Sand dune mining and groundwater contamination continue to threaten our way of life, and I applaud Democratic efforts for oversight. I have every confidence Tom Boritzki and his strong record of environmental protection will be a welcome addition to the Democratic Caucus.”