stop starving Michigan's air, water and land

Michigan's DEQ needs a rescue job --

"The reason we are becoming more fee-dependent is because in the past five years we have lost 68 percent of our general fund revenues," Chester said.

"There are a number of good reasons why we should not be a fee-for-service organization. It does a lot of perverse things to our operations," Chester said. "All of a sudden, you're hiring more accountants and auditors than engineers or biologists."

It's time to free and fund the DEQ. Either a bond issue or an earmarked tax -- although the latter is unlikely to be popular in Michigan. Or almost anywhere else. But a well-reasoned and delivered campaign could change that. People do care about their resources, especially the water.

If Michigan is serious about protecting the air, water, and land, it will have to put meaningful dollars behind that commitment.

http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/012908/loc_n2001.shtml

Comments

[Kevin Sagasser]

Concurrent with a strategy for DEQ funding, consideration should be made to require internal consistency between DEQ Divisions. In example, the DEQ should have the same level of environmental protection for spills from oil/gas wells (OGS) as exists for leaking underground storage tank (gas station) sites (RRD). Presently, this is not the case and it represents an unacceptable threat to public health, safety & welfare.

Protection of our drinking water resources should be the same regardless of the source of contamination and there is no excuse for less stringent protection just because the leak came from oil/gas well operations. Until the DEQ corrects itself, it is a hard sell to ask for more monies while continuing to promote the indefensible position of less protection for special interests.