Joyce Collins, 67, a resident who grew up in Southwest Detroit’s 48217 ZIP code, has experienced the devastating toll of severe illnesses on her family. Her father died in 1992 from cancer, followed by a sister from pancreatic cancer in 2007, another sister from multiple cancers in 2013, and her mother from colon cancer in 2020. Now, her 53-year-old nephew has prostate cancer. The 48217 ZIP code, a predominantly Black and Latino community, is surrounded by heavy industry, including the Marathon Petroleum refinery and facilities in nearby River Rouge and Ecorse, alongside major freight corridors with heavy truck traffic. For decades, residents have questioned the health implications of living in such an environment.
The pollution burden in Southwest Detroit does not stem from a single source. However, Michigan’s current permitting system largely reviews industrial facilities individually. This approach means regulators often do not fully weigh the combined, or cumulative, impact of various sources—such as refineries, industrial dust, and truck emissions—on communities already carrying a heavy environmental burden.
In response to these long-standing concerns, women and girls across generations are actively advocating for change. Collins continues to participate in neighborhood meetings and openly discusses the health challenges her family and community have faced. Young individuals, including 12-year-old Nala Hill, are being trained to advocate for cleaner air. At a local level, Detroit is working to control industrial truck traffic and airborne dust. The state is funding improvements to air quality inside residents’ homes, and community organizations are monitoring pollution while training young people to become advocates.
Key women in state and local government are also pressing for policy to address cumulative pollution. State Senator Stephanie Chang, a Detroit Democrat, has spent years advocating for state policies aimed at reducing the pollution burden in heavily industrialized communities like 48217. She has highlighted the cluster of industrial facilities in and around Southwest Detroit as a significant public health concern, particularly for residents with respiratory illnesses. Senator Chang and State Representative Donavan McKinney, a fellow Detroit Democrat, introduced the Protecting Overburdened Communities Act (POCA) in 2025. This proposed legislation, drawing inspiration from New Jersey’s model, would require the state to consider cumulative environmental impacts when reviewing certain permits in overburdened communities. Senator Chang also worked on legislation to create a state air quality enforcement and mitigation fund, intended to redirect pollution fines back to impacted communities, but that bill did not pass the House. Opponents of such legislation have argued it could lead to administrative backlogs and deter economic growth by causing businesses to relocate to states with fewer regulations.
Other states have already implemented comprehensive approaches to cumulative pollution. New Jersey, facing similar challenges, changed its permitting system. Its environmental justice law was enacted in 2020, with implementing rules taking effect in 2023. This law requires applicants for certain facilities in overburdened communities to examine existing environmental and public health stressors. It grants the state greater power to require stronger protections and limit additional pollution, and places stricter barriers on new facilities that would create disproportionate impacts. New Jersey State Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, a co-sponsor of the bill, noted that building a broad coalition around personal stories, backed by data, was critical to its passage. She emphasized that reversing decades of policy that favored polluters required years of persistent activism. New Jersey State Senator Troy Singleton, the primary author, stated that the issue is not simply environmental but also a matter of public health, economic fairness, and social justice, gaining momentum from broader racial justice conversations. Other states, including New York, Minnesota, Colorado, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, have also codified frameworks for cumulative health and environmental assessments.
Senator Ruiz advised that while strong laws provide an important framework, their effectiveness depends on timely implementation and sustained vigilance, advocacy, and partnership. For Senator Chang, the proposed Michigan legislation means regulators would have to look beyond what a single facility is proposing and consider the cumulative impact from multiple sources and pollutant types residents are already exposed to.