Letter to the Editor: Elect officials who fight industrial pollution

Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Mason County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to MCP’s Letter to the Editor Policy.

Dear Editor:

A recent study commissioned by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy warns that Michigan industries are pushing costs and risks onto future generations by refusing to clean up their pollution. This has a serious impact on Oceana County and every rural area of our state. Manufacturers leave polluted sites, saddling taxpayers with the costs of cleanup. In the report, Michigan State University researchers recommend changing Michigan law to make it harder for polluters to avoid cleaning up their mess.

A recent article in Bridge Magazine states that this recommendation is not new. State legislative bills introduced to strengthen Michigan’s cleanup standards have languished in committee due to pushback from industry. How does an individual who has had to bear the costs of switching over to city water due to aquifer pollution fight against a billion-dollar corporation such as 3M, which challenged Michigan’s new PFAS standards as not taking into account the cost to industry? When the industrial waste “plume” has been identified as moving under your neighborhood, how does that affect your ability to get a fair price for your home?

I’m tired of hearing industry’s threats of job loss and economic collapse if we don’t let them pollute. Financial and health consequences are much more catastrophic for individual citizens than for a billion-dollar corporation. We, the people, have to put pressure on our legislative representatives to get these bills out of committee and PASSED. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as an example, would speed the cleanup of toxic sites.

We need to do more in Michigan to elect public officials who understand that pollution is an immediate threat to our and our children’s health and future. It’s time to move forward – we can’t go back! The future of our children, grandchildren and planet depends on it.

Caroline Mohai

Pentwater