LANSING, Mich. — Senate Appropriations Minority Vice Chair Jon Bumstead on Thursday reiterated his insistence that the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) budget for fiscal year 2024 responsibly invest in efforts to protect resources and serve all Michiganders.
“I have some serious concerns about the partisan departmental budgets recently passed by the majority,” said Bumstead, R-North Muskegon. “Michigan taxpayers cannot afford unsustainable government growth and budgets that pick winners and losers when it comes to supporting communities across our state. Lawmakers have a shared duty to fund the important priorities we have in common.”
Bumstead proposed several amendments to EGLE allocations proposed in Senate Bill 199, including two that would have restored lead pipe replacement funding to levels recommended by the governor and reappropriated monies from the state’s Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve to support water infrastructure projects.
“People deserve access to safe and clean drinking water. Lead lines are a serious concern throughout the state,” Bumstead said. “We could make better use of the state’s overflowing corporate welfare fund by reinvesting these taxpayer dollars into our state’s future and safeguarding the health of our residents.”
Other EGLE budget amendments proposed by Bumstead would have added to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to assist community water projects, replenished the Refined Petroleum Fund to assist with clean ups at orphaned sites across our state, and struck out new language to give some communities preference in assistance to restore contaminated sites.
“We need to clean up contaminated sites in every corner of this state,” Bumstead said. “Environmental cleanup is no place to play favorites or politics. If there is a demonstrated need, contamination should be cleaned up.”
Bumstead’s SB 199 amendments were among the more than 170 budget amendments Senate Republicans offered up as Senate Democrats passed their full proposed fiscal year 2024 state budget package. Unfortunately, all the amendments were struck down.
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