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Members selected for council

LANSING — Twenty-one Michiganders have been selected to the state’s first Michigan Advisory Council for Environmental Justice under the direction of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy announced.

“Since taking office, I’ve been deliberate and focused on protecting our Great Lakes, cleaning up our drinking water and combating the real-life impacts of climate change,” Whitmer said in a news release. “To address ongoing environmental justice issues, it was absolutely critical that those impacted daily have a seat at the table.

“We must ensure that the implementation and enforcement of environmental protections, regulations and policies in Michigan will be fair and meaningful to all Michiganders, regardless of geography, race, color, origin or income. Actions like these will help to further rebuild trust in our state government.”

The Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team is led by Regina Strong, the state’s Environmental Justice Public Advocate. The MAC EJ will provide public and impacted community input for the directors appointed to the Response Team. The Response Team also is planning regional roundtables around the state to ensure as many people as possible are at the table on environmental issues.

An appointee from the Upper Peninsula is Bryan Newland of Brimley. Newland is an active member of the Bay Mills Indian Community and the president and chairman of the Executive Council. Newland is an attorney with Fletcher Law and he earned his juris doctor degree from the Michigan State University College of Law.

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