Under a new bill in the state Senate, fines paid by industry groups who violate environmental regulations would go to the communities most impacted by pollution.
Currently, when industry groups pay fines to the state for violating air quality standards the money goes into the state’s general fund.
The new bill would create “Environmental Protection Communities” that would receive additional funding based on their disproportionate exposure to air pollution.
Democratic State Senator Stephanie Chang introduced the legislation.
“We want to make sure when these companies who are violating the air quality standards that the money that they pay should come back to the communities that they are directly impacting.”
A recent national study found that air pollution is largely created by white communities and disproportionately impacts black and hispanic populations.
Senator Chang said that information comes as no surprise to her constituents.
“In my district, which includes a lot of southwest Detroit and a lot of down river, there is a lot of industrial pollution which does disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities.”
Anecdotally, Chang said, it’s clear where these communities are because they have a higher incidence of respiratory diseases and cancer.
But she said the bill would define Environmental Protection Communities based on EPA data and other tools that show which communities have the highest need and are most impacted by pollution.
Under the bill the funds could be spent on increased air quality monitoring, health impact assessments, and even for planting trees.