Michigan Receives $108 Million to Fight Pollutants Released by Corporations
Michigan's communities and wildlife suffer directly at the hand of large corporations who often release pollutants into the environment with no regard. Monsanto, an agrochemical corporation and primary manufacturer of toxic chemicals known as PCBs, now faces some responsibility for their damages to local environments through a settlement with the State of Michigan.
In May, Garret Ellison with MLive reported that a deal was reached between Monsanto and Attorney General Dana Nessel for Michigan to receive at least $108 million from Monsanto. These funds, which could rise to $240 in total depending on developments in the various cases against Monsanto, are meant for the clean up and restoration of areas damaged by polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. State officials claim that the money will help restore damage natural resources, mitigate risks to public health, and fight against contamination within Michigan's fish and wildlife.
PCBs are manmade chemicals that used to be used for coolants, sealing products, and other various equipment. They were banned in 1979 once their toxicity and longevity, building up over time in fish, wildlife, and people, were discovered. Across Michigan, PCB contamination is still widespread in bodies of water and lakeside communities, and had continued to extend a toxic legacy that threatens our health and environment.
In a statement, Attorney General Dana Nessel said that the settlement with Monsanto supports efforts to hold corporations accountable for the pollution caused by their products. Yet through this settlement, Monsanto denies any wrongdoing and do not admit liability for the pollution of PCBs in Michigan's waters. Michigan's restoration efforts to remove PCBs from our waters will progress, but Monsanto is largely off the hook for their history of releasing PCBs into the environment.
