State officials outline scale of contaminated‑site backlog, push for steady funding and data digitization

Chair Donna Irwin convened the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and introduced a presentation from EGLE on contaminated‑site cleanup, saying the state has “I think 27,000, I think was the last number I heard, of contaminated sites in Michigan that we know about.”

Mike Miller, division director for EGLE’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division, told senators the division manages four cleanup programs — Part 201 sites (hazardous releases under Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act), Part 213 leaking underground storage tank releases, the state Brownfield Redevelopment Program, and federal Superfund (CERCLA) work — and emphasized long timelines and the need for steady funding.

Miller said about 17,000–18,000 sites fall under Part 201 and “a little less than 8,000 currently that are 2 13 sites,” and that roughly half of newly filed basic environmental assessments (about 1,200 a year) reveal previously unknown sites. “We get about 1,200 of those a year on average. And about half of those, 600 of them, are sites that we knew that we did not know about before,” he said.

Why it matters: EGLE described a large inventory of legacy contamination, many sites without viable liable parties (so‑called orphan sites), and expensive, multiyear remedies that require predictable state funding. Miller noted the division currently has more than $300 million allocated to roughly 787 state‑managed sites (“allocated” as the agency’s estimate to finish cleanup) and that Superfund work requires a federal‑state match; the state typically pays about $8 million on average as its share of EPA actions.

Closing more tank releases: On the leaking underground storage tank (Part 213) program, Miller said Michigan has reduced its backlog after policy and organizational changes. He noted a 2024 total of 428 site closures and said the program is on track to close nearly 600 in the current year after setting a goal of 400 per year. “Last year we closed 428 sites. It's the highest number since '20 in a over a decade. And we're on track this year to close almost 600 sites,” Miller said.

Risk classification and priorities: EGLE described a multiyear effort to assign risk categories to sites so the agency can prioritize state funds to the highest public‑health risk cases. Miller said the division reduced the number of sites with unknown risk from about 11,000 to just under 1,000 through that effort, and estimated about 1,100 sites are in the highest risk category (“risk present and immediate”). He warned that interruptions to long‑running remedies can make later remediation costlier and less effective.

Governor’s budget and the solid‑waste surcharge: Deputy Director Travis Bosco summarized a governor’s budget proposal to increase the solid‑waste surcharge (the “tipping fee”) from roughly $0.36 per ton to $5 per ton and to reallocate revenue. The administration’s proposal would direct 55% of the increase to contaminated‑site cleanup, 20% to formula funding for local governments for recycling and materials management, 15% to a host‑communities fund for landfill hosts, and 10% to materials‑management planning. Bosco said the administration believes the department is now “better prepared than the department's ever been to move this money out the door and to make sure we're out addressing sites.”

Brownfield partnerships and redevelopment: Senators asked about using the Brownfield Redevelopment Program and land banks to advance cleanup tied to economic development. Miller and Bosco said EGLE maintains Brownfield coordinators across the state and a federal‑funded site‑assessment group to help communities evaluate contamination and plan redevelopment; they said the statutory priority for state dollars remains addressing public‑health risks even when redevelopment opportunities inform priorities.

Public access to records and digitization: EGLE staff described a major digitization effort for its site files and a public database called the Remediation Information Data Exchange (referred to in the hearing as “Bridal/Bridal”). Devin (EGLE staff) said roughly 1.6 million documents have been digitized and that the department is seeing about 15,000 public downloads of the database per month. He said FOIA workload for the remediation division is high (about 20,000 FOIAs annually for the department, with roughly three‑quarters directed to remediation files) and that faster public access reduces staff time and costs. EGLE asked the subcommittee to consider funding to finish digitization in roughly five years.

Standards of “clean”: Senators pressed on the legal threshold for closure. Miller said Michigan’s statutory criteria are based on a cancer‑risk standard of 1 in 100,000; cleanup decisions evaluate exposure pathways (drinking water, vapor intrusion, surface‑water contact, direct contact) and consider current and reasonably anticipated future use. “By definition, clean is anything below criteria,” he said, noting that some closures include use restrictions (covenants) that require re‑evaluation if property use changes.

Questions and next steps: Senators voiced support for increased progress, raised concerns about landfill host communities receiving a share of tipping‑fee revenue, and pressed EGLE on the balance between protecting health and avoiding undue cost burdens. EGLE said consistent, multi‑year funding is critical to plan remedies and avoid stop‑start cycles that can waste prior data and money. The committee did not take formal legislative action during the hearing; it adopted the minutes of a prior meeting and adjourned.

Ending: EGLE officials asked for continued funding consideration in the governor’s budget for both cleanup and the digitization effort so the department can accelerate remedies and reduce transactional delays for communities and developers.