The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality may be deciding if repeat polluters are just blowing smoke.

The bill will allow the DEQ to revoke or deny permits to companies with known reputations for polluting the air.

A hearing with the state House Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Committee on the bill was held Thursday.

The committee decided more work needed to be done after various groups expressed opposition to it in its current form.

The law only allows the DEQ to consider an agreement with a company after a permit has been issued or if it gave false information during the permit review process.

Rep. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi, said she thought the hearing went well.

She said for now she has to meet again with the DEQ and other interested parties to determine what changes can be made without weakening its original intent.

“I got a sense that the committee did not have a lot of difficulty understanding of the concept of what we are trying to do here,” she said.

Cassis said she hopes to have the bill passed into law by December.

But once passed it will it will deal seriously with repeat offenders.

“This deals with the health, safety and welfare of all concerned employees who work in the factory as well as residents who live in the surrounding area,” she said.

While the law will give certain powers to the DEQ, there may be some snags.

Cassis said the law will not be mandatory for the DEQ. She said each case will be looked at by a case-by-case basis.

Cassis said the bill isn’t aimed at punishing, but encouraging companies to practice good environmental standards.

“It will allow the DEQ to look at the history of a company or its owners to make sure they have not repeatedly broken environmental standards,” she said.

State Sen. Bill Bullard, R-Highland, said in his own county there are countless violations.

“Under the present law, we don’t think the DEQ has the sufficient funds to turn down a permit,” he said.

Bullard said once the law is passed, the DEQ will be able to decide on how to enforce it.

“If you have a permit revoked once, it is revoked, I think it should have a strong showing of why,” he said.

But the DEQ hasn’t had a chance to evaluate the bill yet.

Ken Silfven, a DEQ spokesman, said he has not reviewed the specifics of the bill.

“I have heard of it, frankly we have not reviewed the legislation yet, so therefore we don’t have a position,” he said.