Residents in Southwest Detroit, including Joyce Collins, 67, are calling for new ways to address the long-term health effects of industrial pollution. Collins grew up in the 48217 ZIP code, a predominantly Black and Latino community surrounded by heavy industry, including the Marathon Petroleum refinery and facilities in nearby River Rouge and Ecorse. Her family has faced a heavy burden of illnesses, with her father dying from cancer in 1992, two sisters from different cancers in 2007 and 2013, and her mother from colon cancer in 2020. Now, her 53-year-old nephew has prostate cancer.
For decades, residents like Collins have questioned the health impacts of living among refineries, industrial facilities, and major freight corridors with heavy truck traffic. Collins remains engaged in neighborhood discussions about pollution, openly sharing her family's experiences, and advocating for greater attention to the health and environmental strain on their communities. Younger generations, such as 12-year-old Nala Hill, are also being trained to champion cleaner air.
Efforts are underway in Detroit to manage industrial truck traffic and airborne dust, while the state is providing funding for air quality improvements inside residents' homes. Community organizations are actively monitoring pollution and educating young people on environmental advocacy. Alongside these initiatives, women holding key positions in state and local government are actively pressing for policy to address the overall accumulation of pollution. While current measures can lessen some immediate exposure, they do not resolve the larger issue of how much additional pollution Michigan should permit in communities already carrying so much.
The pollution in Southwest Detroit does not stem from a single source. However, Michigan's current permitting system largely evaluates sources individually. A refinery might be reviewed under one permit, industrial dust under separate regulations, and truck emissions handled elsewhere. This fragmented approach means the total environmental burden from all these sources on an already impacted community is not fully assessed.
New Jersey faced a similar challenge and responded by changing its permitting system. Now, regulators in New Jersey must consider the existing environmental burden on a community before approving new facilities or expansions. In areas identified as overburdened, this grants the state more authority to impose stronger protections and limit further pollution. Other states, including New York and Minnesota, have enacted robust statutes to block or heavily restrict new permits that would increase pollution in disadvantaged communities. Additionally, states such as Colorado, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have established frameworks mandating cumulative health and environmental assessments prior to industrial expansions near vulnerable populations.
New Jersey State Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, a Democrat and co-sponsor of the environmental justice bill, noted the legislation took years to pass. Ruiz highlighted how community members shared personal stories of health impacts, building a broad coalition supported by data. She explained that New Jersey had to confront a history where policy consistently allowed polluting industries to concentrate in the same locations. State Senator Troy Singleton, a Democrat and primary author of the law, emphasized that this issue is integral to broader conversations about racial and economic inequality, stating it is "not simply an environmental issue" but also a matter of public health, economic fairness, and social justice. Singleton added that the national racial justice protests following George Floyd's murder in 2020 helped build momentum for the legislation. Three months after then-Governor Phil Murphy publicly endorsed the legislation in June 2020, New Jersey enacted the law, with its implementing rules taking effect in 2023.
New Jersey's rules now require applicants for certain facilities in overburdened communities to examine existing environmental and public health stressors. The state can mandate additional pollution controls and community protections, and new facilities proposing disproportionate impacts face stricter barriers. Ruiz noted that the law is already altering requirements for facilities seeking permits, suggesting that other states like Michigan can learn from New Jersey's approach regarding timely implementation and sustained advocacy.
Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang, a Democrat, has dedicated years to advancing state policy aimed at reducing the pollution burden in Southwest Detroit and other heavily industrialized communities. She specifically cited the 48217 ZIP code, the Marathon refinery, and the cluster of other industrial facilities in and around Southwest Detroit as a public health concern, especially for residents with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other respiratory illnesses. Getting legislation through Lansing has been challenging, Chang reported. She and State Representative Donavan McKinney, also a Detroit Democrat, introduced the Protecting Overburdened Communities Act (POCA) in 2025, drawing inspiration from New Jersey's model. This legislation would require the state to consider cumulative environmental impacts when reviewing certain permits in overburdened communities. McKinney, now the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, would represent 48217 in Congress if elected. Opponents of POCA argue the legislation could lead to administrative backlogs and that restricting development in industrialized zones might hinder economic growth, causing businesses to relocate. For Chang, the proposed legislation is vital, as it would compel regulators to look beyond a single facility's proposal and instead consider the collective exposure residents face from multiple industries and types of pollutants around them. Chang also worked on a bill to establish a state air quality enforcement and mitigation fund, aiming to redirect pollution fines back to impacted communities rather than simply to the state. That bill progressed further but ultimately failed on the House floor.
