DEARBORN, Mich. -- A newspaper report finds state business development officials led discussions with environmental regulators and a Detroit-area steel plant seeking to release higher amounts of toxins.
The Detroit Free Press reports (http://on.freep.com/1umseUN ) Sunday that emails it obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show the Michigan Economic Development Corp. set the agenda in a meeting on behalf of Dearborn-based Severstal. The Department of Environmental Quality is considering whether to grant the Russian steelmaker a permit allowing it to release 725 times more lead into the air.
Company and DEQ officials say the proposed change won't increase pollutants because it represents what already has been released for years.
An official with the MEDC says it was navigating interactions, not advocating. A DEQ spokesman says the department wasn't uncomfortable with the MEDC's involvement.
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