Members of the environmental justice community called on Gov. Snyder Friday to include environmental justice experts and people from impacted communities in his recently created Environmental Justice Work Group. In a formal letter, environmental justice leaders urged the Governor to reopen the selection process to create a more effective and representative task force. Here’s one excerpt:
“The current group is weighted disproportionately with industry representation. The majority of the members you have appointed to the Work Group have no environmental justice experience. Additionally, there are no members representing Tribes, tribal interests or governments, and no representatives from communities with demonstratively impacted neighborhoods such as Flint, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, or even the Upper Peninsula.”
Gov. Snyder’s work group was a direct recommendation by the Flint Water Advisory Task Force and the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee, following the Flint Water Crisis. The Work Group will be tasked with guiding state and local agencies to address environmental justice issues.
“The clear lack of representation from the very communities that are most impacted by dangerous pollution is insulting,” said Guy Williams, president & CEO of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice. “If Gov. Snyder really wants to find solutions that work for all Michiganders, he should give the people most affected a voice, and use their experiences and expertise to help guide the work group.”
Authors of the letter include:
—Dr. Paul Mohai, professor at University of Michigan
—Dr. Kyle Powys Whyte, professor at Michigan State University
—Guy O. Williams, president & CEO of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.
A full list of Work Group members can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-57577-405091--,00.html.
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