State Senator Nofs Introduces a Bill to Pay for Cleanup of Polluted Sites

State Senator Mike Nofs is entering the home stretch of his service in the State Legislature.  Nofs will be done, as a result of term limits, at the end of the year.   His recent bill, and possibly his last, would fund cleanup and recycling efforts in Michigan.   Nofs was a recent guest on the 95.3 WBCK Morning Show with Tim Collins.  See the video.

Nofs has introduced Senate Bill 943, which would provide a sustainable funding source to address contaminated and abandoned sites while investing in Michigan’s recycling and solid waste activities.

“It is vital that we clean up and reinvest in these properties,” said Nofs, R-Battle Creek. “Under my bill, we will use existing infrastructure to improve and protect the environment while increasing local tax bases, facilitating job growth and taking development pressures off of undeveloped, open land.”

Nofs attended a “Renewing and Rebuilding Michigan” event in Lansing at which the governor spoke of the need to protect Michigan’s public health and environment through smart, environmental and water infrastructure investments.

Nofs said there are over 3,000 contaminated sites in Michigan that still need remediation, including more than 30 confirmed sites with emerging PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contaminant issues.

“Environmental issues can pose a serious threat to our health and quality of life,” Nofs said. “Senate Bill 943 provides a common-sense approach to sustainably building a better Michigan without indebting future generations.”

SB 943 is currently before the Senate Committee on Government Operations.

In the interview on 95.3 WBCK, Nofs also talked about the vote he regrets most in his legislative career:  Passing the bill that started driver responsibility fees.  He said he was very glad to recently vote to end these fees and give drivers a clean slate, which began October 1^st.   In the video, Nofs talks about why they passed the law in the first place, and why it didn’t work.