While some legislators see state Rep. Liz Brater's proposed changes to the state's environmental policies as a step to a better future, others see the plan as more bureaucracy and paperwork.
"We need enforcement of our environmental policies," Brater (D-Ann Arbor) said. "It's an effort to give public input."
The three bills, which Brater announced yesterday at a press conference, are designed to inform the public of polluted sites, use environmental indicators and create an Environmental Quality Commission appointed by the governor to oversee the Department of Environmental Quality.
Brater predicted that the House will support the bills, but she said passage will be more difficult in the Senate.
"If it puts yet another board and another bureaucracy between the decision makers, I'm going to oppose it," said state Sen. Loren Bennett (R-Canton), the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs committee chair. "The more bureaucracy the Democrats create, the better they sleep at night."
Brater said the Environmental Quality Commission must be created because Gov. John Engler and the previously Republican-controlled Legislature eliminated 19 oversight boards with their creation of the Department of Environmental Quality in 1995.
"Since then, the number of environmental clean-ups has been greatly lowered," Brater said.
Brater said the bill that requires the Department of Environmental Quality to erect signs at polluted sites is important for public safety.
"If we are aware of the polluted sites, we must inform the people," Brater said.
The indicators would measure standards such as pollutants in the state's water and the acreage of forests in the state. The statistics would be used for environmental planning and an annual environmental report card. Thirty-four states are currently undertaking identical environmental indicator projects.
Establishing the environmental indicator system will cost money, Brater said, but it will save money in the long run.
"The amount the indicators cost will be a lot less than the cost to taxpayers if a mess needs to be cleaned up," Brater said.
The bills have many co-sponsors, including some Republicans.
"Open government is a cornerstone of our democratic republic," said state Rep. Greg Kaza (R-Rochester Hills). "I co-sponsored Rep. Brater's bills because they provide for open government."
Brater said one reason there is great support for her bills is that they are part of a family-oriented agenda.
"I have bipartisan support for it because there is no better way to protect families than to protect them from hazardous pollution," Brater said.
Ken Silfven, a spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Quality, said the Environmental Quality Commission is unnecessary.
"The issue isn't public access, it's control," Silfven said. "This legislation would be a major step backward. Our director reports to Governor Engler, who reports to the public. That's true democracy."