LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- State environmental decisions would get new oversight under a set of bills on their way to Governor Snyder's desk.
The three panels would include members from different industries and business sectors in the state.
Republicans say it will give citizens more of a say in the state's environmental policy. Democrats like Yousef Rabhi say the bills would give industry too much say. Rabhi says when the DEQ worked with a corporation to set new standards for dioxane levels in his district a few years ago, families ended up drinking poisoned water.
He worries the panels will just make that kind of thing happen more often.
“Literally we're putting corporations in charge of regulating themselves,” he says. “I mean the DEQ already approves 99 percent of the permit applications that come through. And so for that less than 1 percent of permits that they don't approve, this panel can basically supercede the DEQ.”
Rabhi and other opponents hope Governor Snyder will veto the bills.