The Michigan Environmental Council released its second report Thursday criticizing the work of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
The report, “Continuing Dereliction of Duty: How Michigan’s Environmental Agency Defies the Law and the Public,” was released by a coalition of 20 environmental agencies that say the department is not doing a good enough job protecting the environment.
The 20-page report is the second released by the council. Its first came out in October.
“The second in this sequel report highlights the failures we have been seeing over, literally, years, when it comes to DEQ carrying out its mandate,” said Alison Horton, director of the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Environmental groups saw a real urgency to bring the current failings of DEQ to public attention.
“It is clear that there haven’t been any significant changes to the agency.”
The report claims Department of Environmental Quality top management haven’t upheld high standards for air and water quality or waste disposal. It also said the public has been ignored numerous times by state officials at public hearings.
“We show up at a hearing with hundreds of people and they ignore them and issue a permit anyway,” said James Clift, policy director for the Michigan Environmental Council. “We hope to connect all these separate little local groups so they know they aren’t an isolated group.
“If they keep talking, their message will percolate to the top and behaviors will change.”
However, Ken Silfven, Department of Environmental Quality spokesman, said the report is not the right way to change policy.
“Their attacks are vicious, unfounded and very offensive,” he said. “It is not the way to go about establishing a good relationship and it doesn’t do anything to address our environmental challenges.”
Silfven also said the department makes tough decisions every day and is not going to back down from any that have been made.
Both sides, however, say there is a political battle being fought as well.
Silfven said many Michigan Environmental Council officials were part of former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard’s environmental efforts and are opposed to any plan the current Republican administration puts forward.
Clift, however, denies the council is politically motivated. Instead, he said the state government’s policy is being driven by developers and other donors to the GOP.
“We are not political,” Clift said. “We are a watchdog organization overseeing how the department is enforcing laws in Michigan.
“And we are not liking what we are seeing.”
