ESTABLISH DEQ IN STATUTE
House Bill 4051
Sponsor: Rep. Chris Kolb
Committee: Land Use and Environment
Complete to 3-12-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4051 AS INTRODUCED 1-25-01
Executive Order 1991-22, which became Executive Reorganization Order 1991-31, reorganized the former Department of Natural Resources (DNR); and Executive Order 18 of 1995 created a new Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and transferred all of DNR' environmental protection functions to the new department.
The bill would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) to establish the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in statute. Under the bill, the DEQ would be created as a principal state department that would possess the powers and perform the duties granted and imposed by the act, and as otherwise provided by law. The bill would specify that the department must conserve and protect the air, water, and other natural resources of the state from pollution, impairment, and destruction for the benefit of current and future generations, and that it would also be required to actively seek the participation of the citizens of the state in the development and implementation of policies, the issuance of permits, and the protection of the environment and the state's natural resources and the public trust in those resources.
MCL 324.601 and 324.602
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.