EGLE officials outline materials management programs, warn of funding risks for hazardous-waste oversight

LANSING — Acting Materials Management Division Director Tracy Cascametti and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Deputy Director Travis Bosco briefed the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on the division’s programs and financing, saying the agency faces budget pressure that could affect hazardous-waste oversight.

Cascametti said the division manages three “buckets” of work: regulatory waste-management programs (hazardous and solid waste, and newly-regulated materials utilization facilities), sustainability programs (recycling, materials-management planning, pollution prevention and energy programs) and radiological protection (emergency preparedness, radiological materials and indoor radon). “The point of the hazardous-waste program is to not have contaminated sites in Michigan,” Cascametti said.

Why it matters: Cascametti and Bosco told the subcommittee that roughly half the division’s funding comes from fees and restricted funds that fluctuate with waste volumes, and another significant portion comes from federal grants. They warned that recent declines or proposed cuts in those revenue sources would strain staff capacity for inspections, permitting and monitoring that support public health and environmental compliance statewide.

Key facts and funding

- The Materials Management Division has 54 full-time employees, Cascametti said, with nearly half of staff having fewer than five years’ experience. - EGLE reported a FY25 budget of about $47 million and FY24 of about $42 million; about half of that is operating while much of the remainder is grant funding distributed to communities and businesses. - The hazardous-waste program is approximately a $7 million program with about 50 staff; Cascametti said fees fund roughly half the program and an EPA grant funds most of…