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EGLE, EPA Retreat from Civil Rights Agreement with Flint Groups

Summary

Michigan's environmental agency (EGLE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have withdrawn from a Title VI civil rights resolution agreement with Flint community groups that aimed to provide local protections for residents facing industrial pollution and reform Michigan's discriminatory air permitting program. Instead, they signed a diluted agreement that only brings cosmetic changes to the state's problematic air permitting program, perpetuating the practice of placing polluting industries in low-income communities of color. The negotiations followed a Title VI civil rights complaint by three community groups over a toxic asphalt plant in a low-income Black community near Flint. The article expresses outrage from advocates, highlighting the need for genuine environmental justice reforms to prioritize public health over business profits. Earthjustice and Great Lakes Environmental Law Center represented the community groups in the negotiations.

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