Rolling Back Oversight of Industrial Waste

House Bills 4257 and 4265, passed by the House and awaiting action from the Senate, would undermine critical groundwater protections and put Michigan communities at risk. These bills significantly weaken environmental oversight of Michigan’s industrial-scale agricultural waste by reclassifying that waste and exempting anaerobic digesters from certain permitting requirements necessary to protect groundwater.

The substances input and processed by digesters can include harmful contaminants such as heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics, and pathogens, that can accumulate in soil and groundwater, with long-term impacts on both ecosystems and human health. The proposed exemptions from Part 115 and Part 31 protections would remove crucial mechanisms that ensure digesters operate safely and allow the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to hold bad actors accountable before irreversible harm occurs.

The bills remove the requirement for water discharge permits, replacing it with a weak registration system and broad exemptions. Michigan LCV supports sustainable approaches to waste management that protect both our agricultural economy and our environment. House Bills 4257 and 4265 move Michigan in the wrong direction by increasing pollution risks to Michigan’s rivers, lakes, and groundwater, putting public health, drinking water, and our Great Lakes economy at risk.