“Rules that protect us from harmful chemicals”

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has been unable to enact critical water quality regulations for nearly two decades. But change — and a safer water supply — may soon be on the horizon after legislation to restore the agency’s capacity was passed by the state Senate this summer, the Michigan Advance reports.

The updated legislation, Senate Bill 663, repeals a 2004 statute that outlawed EGLE’s authority to modernize water protection standards. “With passage of this bill, EGLE will regain the authority to create rules that protect us from harmful chemicals released into our waterways,” Michigan Sen. Sue Shink, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, told the Michigan Advance.

Water pollution is dangerous and shockingly common. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), hazardous chemicals developed in the 1940s for use in nonstick cookware and other household products, take so long to break down that they are known as “forever chemicals.”

PFAS can increase the risk of cancer, high cholesterol, reproductive and developmental dysfunction in children, and other health problems. Scientists recently concluded that PFAS are present in 45% of U.S. tap water samples, CNN reported. Many sectors, government and otherwise, are working to find solutions.

Michigan has particular cause for concern, as detailed by the Water Resources Stewardship Program: “From microplastic pollution… PFAS contamination… algal blooms in Lake Erie, failing septic systems, and erosion, Michigan has its hands full.”

The crisis in Flint, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, began in 2014, when “(inadequate) water treatment and testing led to…serious water quality and health problems” for city residents — including seriously “elevated blood lead levels,” which are toxic and can be fatal to children.

Water pollution affects both public health and the economy, with “diverse and far-reaching impacts…affecting tourism, property values, commercial fishing, recreational activities” and more, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explained. Still, as the Michigan Advance noted, Senate Bill 663 has faced resistance from some state Republicans who say they are frustrated by administrative overreach.

Supporters of the bill, which is now before the state House of Representatives, were not concerned, the Michigan Advance noted. “(Everyone) feels like the water beneath them and the air above them is theirs because they’re standing on their property, but we have to recognize that this water is flowing between us,” noted state Sen. Jeff Irwin. “It’s a resource that we have to share.”

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