WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The battle between West Michigan leaders and the Environmental Protection Agency has been going on for many years concerning who is responsible for high smog levels in lakeshore counties. And it is not abating.
Three Michigan congressman have sent a joint letter (see below) to the E-P-A saying it made a mistake in essentially blaming Allegan, Muskegon and Berrien county manufacturers for the air pollution that drifts over the lakeshore counties from cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary, Ind. Bill Huizenga, Tim Walberg, and John Moolenaar take issue with the EPA's decision on nonattainment areas impacting Allegan, Berrien, and Muskegon counties. A non-attainment area is considered to have worse air quality than national standards.
Per a news release from Congressman Huizenga's office:
Two local economic development organizations, Lakeshore Advantage and Cornerstone Alliance, joined the Congressmen in raising alarms over the negative impact this unjust regulatory increase will have on economic growth and jobs along the Lakeshore.
“These proposed changes penalized Allegan County manufacturers for air quality outside of their control. Jet streams travel west to east and with the air quality monitoring station located near the lakeshore,” said Jennifer Owens, President of Lakeshore Advantage. “It is unlikely that imposing costly standards will bring ozone levels into attainment. They will be costly for employers and will unnecessarily threaten the local economy.”
“The EPA’s reclassification of Berrien County’s air quality standard is unjust, and it will come at the cost of lost jobs for Michiganders,” said Rob Cleveland, President of Cornerstone Alliance. “Berrien County residents will suffer the consequences of actions from companies that are more than 100 miles away, and in completely different states. It is our hope that reasonable leaders can come together and take action. The offending companies that are actually responsible for causing the problem are not located in West Michigan.”
The Congressmen wrote, “The scope and burden of this heavy-handed regulation are not consistent with the reality on the ground in these Southwest Michigan counties. The EPA must recognize that given these counties’ locations, meteorological factors likely brought the pollutants into this region from more major industrial centers like Chicago, IL; Gary, IN; and Milwaukee, WI. Notably, contiguous counties such as Van Buren and Ottawa were not included in this EPA decision. Furthermore, the compliance costs associated with the CAA requirements will improperly impose devastating economic losses on our hardworking communities… While we understand the need for air quality standards, this decision impacting our communities is not appropriate.”
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