Advocacy News – August 10, 2021
The Michigan Chamber hosted its quarterly Manufacturer’s Round Table last Thursday, to discuss key federal and state issues affecting the manufacturing sector. Guest speakers included Chuck Chaitovitz from the US Chamber of Commerce and Regina Strong, the state’s head Advocate for Environmental Justice.
The US Chamber’s review of federal issues focused primarily on the infrastructure package in Congress. Concerns about some of the funding structures were discussed, such as the superfund site tax on chemical companies. Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency issued a request for recommendations on plans to repeal and replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which offered certainty and flexibility for meeting requirements for Waters of the U.S.
Ms. Strong focused her comments on the Environmental Justice (EJ) Council’s work in developing a screening tool that will utilize historic pollution records and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data in developing EJ zones throughout the state. Chamber members had several questions and concerns over how the tool would ultimately be used and could affect permitting and other business decisions.
If you or someone from your organization is interested in joining future round table meetings, please reach out to Mike Alaimo at malaimo@michamber.com.