LANSING – Businesses that are meeting state and federal environmental requirements, and helping other companies to do so as well, would see discounts on their permits and preference on state contracts under legislation approved Thursday by the Senate Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee.

The bills (SB 939 , SB 940 , SB 941 , SB 942 ) moved on a party-line vote with little discussion after the changes to the main bill, SB 939, were explained.

Among the key changes, the bill would allow the Department of Environmental Quality to remove a company from the Environmental Leader Program for minor violations, said Senate Majority Floor Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive), sponsor of the bill.

The program, which would replace the current Clean Corporate Citizen Program, requires applicants to have clean records for the three years prior to the application, or have an approved plan to address any outstanding violations. But it waives certain penalties for violations after being admitted to the program.

The substitute, however, would allow the department to find the company or facility had committed a pattern of minor violations that affect natural resources, Meekhof said.

The program would also be more accessible to small business under the substitute. Companies with fewer than 100 employees could qualify by maintaining a sustainability policy.

The program now also calls on participants to spread their experience to others. The bill requires that the company’s plan include methods for disseminating information on its programs and experiences, but the substitute also encourages companies to “initiate community-based activities” as part of that effort.

Meekhof said that could include providing mentoring to other facilities seeking to enter the program.

Businesses admitted to the program would see a 15 percent reduction in their fees to the DEQ during the first year. Any permits that it does need would see priority treatment from the DEQ and would last for twice the normal period. It also would see half the inspections and would have 72 hours’ notice of those inspections.

Environmental Leader participants also would see preference in bidding on state contracts and seeking state grants and loans, and they would qualify for free technical assistance from the department.

If a company in the program does have a violation, it would not be subject to civil fines as long as the violation was reported within 24 hours, the company acted quickly to correct it, and the violation was not intentional and did not endanger public safety.

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