LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – To celebrate Earth Day, Michigan lawmakers and environmental advocates unveiled a wide-ranging push to strengthen environmental protections, including a proposed constitutional amendment and a package of bills targeting PFAS contamination.
The proposed “Green Amendment” would guarantee residents the right to clean air, water, and a healthy environment by adding those protections to the state constitution. Supporters say the change would place environmental rights on par with freedoms such as speech and religion and require government officials to prioritize environmental protection in decision-making.
“We were taught in kindergarten that if you make a mess, you’re supposed to clean it up,” one lawmaker said. “And yet the current legal framework in Michigan allows you to make a mess and not clean it up.”
Backers say the amendment would also require regulators to consider cumulative pollution impacts and give residents stronger legal standing to challenge environmental harm before it occurs.
“You cannot breathe these toxins separately,” said state Rep. Donovan McKinney (D-Detroit). “You breathe them all together, and we must protect our communities.”
Advocates say the measure would give residents a greater voice in environmental decisions and help address gaps in existing law.
“We’re giving the people of Michigan a meaningful seat at the decision-making table when their human right to a safe environment is at risk,” said Maya van Rossum, founder of Green Amendments for the Generations.
Alongside the amendment, lawmakers introduced a multi-bill package focused on PFAS contamination, a widespread issue in Michigan.
State officials have identified more than 300 PFAS sites across the state, affecting the vast majority of counties. Lawmakers said the contamination has been linked to polluted drinking water, farm disruptions, and potential health impacts in communities.
“There is no part of our state that has not been impacted by PFAS contamination in some way or another,” Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D- East Lansing) said.
The legislation would expand testing and notification requirements, restrict certain uses of PFAS in consumer products, and provide financial support for farmers impacted by contamination. It would also allow residents to take legal action against companies that knowingly use the chemicals.
One proposal would require the state to notify residents when contamination is suspected near their homes. At the same time, another would establish grant programs to help farmers recover lost income and remediate land.
Lawmakers said the goal is to shift Michigan’s approach from reacting to contamination to preventing it.
“Clean air, clean water, and a livable climate are not privileges,” said state Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township). “They are rights that every person deserves.”
The Green Amendment would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Legislature before going to voters statewide. The PFAS bills would move through the standard legislative process.
