“Our ask of lawmakers is don’t rush, slow down, listen to both sides,” said Wendy Block, senior vice president for business advocacy for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

In the state legislature, lawmakers are considering bills that would meet some of those workers’ demands, and potentially impact Michigan businesses. In hopes that companies can find a seat at the table when it comes to introducing legislation, several organizations representing Michigan industries, including the MI Chamber, have formed the Great Lakes Growth Coalition.

Representatives for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the state’s largest business lobby, said they are open in concept to changes, such as requiring more transparency from owners of polluted land. But they worry that requiring industry to remove more pollution, instead of containing it, raises the cost of redevelopment.