2020 Goals: Move Michigan Forward Against PFAS
There are a gluttonous amount of New Year’s Resolutions posts out there, so I’m adding another.
As arbitrary as it is, the New Year is a chance to recharge, refresh, and reflect. It’s the time to look at where you are, be both hard, critical, and forgiving, and make a plan for today. For me, that’s what change comes down to. Having long-term goals is smart, and often those big-picture types of ambitions are the ones that really make a difference in our lives and in the world. But what really gets us there are the day-to-day changes in our routine, in our consumption, in our thinking, and in our actions that really serve as stepping stones to the end result.
One of my primary missions is to continue following and understanding the complicated, dire, and infuriating story of PFAS. Across the country and right here in Michigan, we’re seeing almost weekly stories about new contamination sites, more communities at risk, and the beginnings of regulations that might just hold those polluters accountable. Maybe the Flint water crisis has shaped Michigan’s view on water and water access. Maybe being almost completely surrounded by water on not one but two peninsulas has taught us the value of freshwater. Maybe we have a lot more to do. But the issue just isn’t going away, and with tens of thousands of at-risk, we need to get moving, and fast.
Michigan has released a response that includes data collected from across the state over the past two years. Their eponymously titled site also features a number of resources for communities affected and those interested in PFAS testing. One of the most interesting documents on the site is the report published on December 19. Serving as a list of accomplishments and next steps, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) surveyed and studied a dozen state wildlife, natural, water, and other departments to learn more about PFAS in different industries, areas, and communities. For example, they polled over 700 fire departments to learn more about aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a confirmed source of PFAS chemicals. They contacted dozens of water treatment facilities, military bases, schools, and sites with a historical or current industrial or manufacturing footprint.
The report also offers a comprehensive look at how testing was conducted across the state. Hundreds of people were tested in Kent County alone, while researchers also examined fish, deer, and tested over four hundred lakes and streams. They tested 95 water waste treatment facilities, 29 of which have been instructed to reduce their PFAS emissions. That’s a roughly 30% strike rate in Michigan waste treatment plants, an alarming number, but one we can make tangible and measure improvements to in 2020.
All of that information has led to some support. In 2019 alone, Michigan legislators approved $30.9 million to be distributed through grants for drinking water remediation programs. Those same legislators fell short of perhaps the most important measures that made it to Lansing. House Bills 4389, 4390, and 4391 all failed to pass. All three bills focused on AFFF contamination and use, vital legislation that could have protected past, current, and future firefighters across the state.
Michigan has proven itself as one of the most aggressive, forward-thinking states in the nation in the fight against PFAS. In communities around the country, we all need to stay informed, engaged, and in contact with our non-profits and legislators to support initiatives that will protect our water and our citizens. In Michigan, organizations like FLOW and LessCancer.org are vital in the fight against PFAS and other proven carcinogens. Let’s make 2020 the year we don’t just catch up with these ‘forever chemicals’, but the year we look back and say we got ahead, got smart, and got our health and environment a little higher on the list of resolutions.
