I \ lie II ig { III
go
N.
Rep. rold
vie it, Michi n
m nd up to the U.S. Envi­
ronm nt 1 Prot ion A ney
(EPA) now.
U nd r th 1990 federal Clean
Air Act, the tate n to tab­
l' h tough ting program for
utomobile tailpipe mi ions in
Ot wa, Kent nd M egon
counti .
How d Voorh pond
to that? Two words: No way.
"To pic out three counti on
the w t ide of Michigan when
the majority of pollution com
from other areas and to soak us
with this enhanced monopolistic
inspection system is ludicro , "
id the Grandville Republican.
So where doe that leave
Michigan? In a bitter quagmire,
pitting busin interes, envi­
ronmentalists, west Michigan
legislators and government offi­
cials against each other.
THE EPA set a Nov. 15
deadline for communities with
air pollution problems to comply
with the Clean Ail' Act. But as
it draws nearer, attacks by crit­
ics like Voorhees grow fiercer.
They claim the federally-man­
dated auto-emissions program
is inefficient, uneconomical and
would unfairly penalize Michi­
gan motorists.
But if the state does not im­
plement a west Michigan vehi­
cle-emissions program, the EPA.
has vowed to shut off $500 mil­
lion in highway funds and limit
economic development in pol­
luted areas.
The areas classified by the
Clean Air Act 88 troub pota
are the thl'Q9 t Michipn
counties nd ven Detroit area
counties. C ly, th 'A
designates both areas "non-at­
tainment," or not meeting the
set standards for ground-level
ozone, which is often called
mog.
However, as surprising as it
may seem, the highest ozone
readings are not in Detroit.
That dubious honor belongs to
Muskegon.
Originally, Muskegon re­
ceived a "severe" designation,
the second most dangerous
level. The' EPA later down-
El
•
"In w tern Michigan, motor-
will n ver be abl to ttain
compliance because they can't
control th pollution," id Rep.
J ie Dalman, R-Holland, at
th Oct. 6 Ho ion.
"I personally don't think t­
ing i nece ary," aid Herp
DeRoo, owner of West Side Serv­
ice Center in Holland. "It i not
our problem."
Furthermore, pollution from
Milwau , Chicago and Gary
can travel farther beca those
cities are near water.
, Ozone is a highly reactiv
compound. As a result, other
pollutants usually break it up
and limit the distan it can
travel. But when ozone floats
across water, there are no pol­
lutants to scavenge it.
In 1991, th Department of
Natural Resources set up air­
quality monitoring sites all
across western Michigan. At
every city - from Bentori Har­
bor in the South to Escanaba in
the North - there .were pollu­
tion readings above the tand­
ard.
CURRENTLY, government
official are examining the
oso port plhaJ�nll.eIllLi18
part of the Lake Mic:hi
Study, a �lftO·""t'Io tm:)1ft:!'"1�
ated as a result of a lawsuit
against the EPA. No data are
available yet.
But even supporters of tail­
pipe testing accept the transport
pheno ena. It is their conten­
tion, however, it is better to fol­
low the law, rather than
jeopardize federal highway
funds.
Both the DNR and the Michi­
gan Department of Transporta­
tion support complete
compliance with the Clean Air
00
partially to lower levels of edu­
cational attainment," Lockery
says. "Since the level of educa­
tion is an important predictor of
earning power, the conse­
quenees in old age can be vere.
"This lack of education, in
conjunction with earlier racial
discriminatory practices, led to
restricted job opportunities, as
well as to sporadic work histo­
ries with longer periods of un­
employment or
underemployment. These fac­
tors, exacerbated by physical
disabilities associated with
work, have meant lower incomes
for many Black adults in their
later years. "
ANN ARBOR - Older Blacks
in Michigan are more than twice
as likely to be poor as the state's
elderly whites, according to a
University of Michigan re­
searcher.
"Even though the percentage
of elderly falling below the pov­
erty level has been declining, the
proportion of older Blacks in
poverty remains uhstantially
higher than that of whites, " says
Shirley A. Lockery, a istant
professor of social work and fac­
ulty associate at the U-M Insti­
tute for Social Research.
. Based on 1990 data from the
U.S. Census, Lockery's study
finds that 24 percent of Blacks
age 65 and older live in poverty,
compared with nine percent of OLDER BLAC are more
elderly whites. likely �han olde! whites to rely
Another 34 percent of older on SOCial �\mty and Supple­
Blacks are "near poor" (those . mental Secunty Inco�e (SSI)
with incomes no more than 25 sole souroes of financial upport,
percent above the poverty Lockery 15·
level) compared with 16 percent "A problem with this depend-
of older whites. Furthermore, ency on SSI i that established
Lockery ys that Black women income levels are usually much
are by far th poo t of all eld- lower than that of the poverty
erly persons, They are nearly line," he says. "Further, there is
twice as likely than Black men, vidence that many individua
about 2.5 tim li ely than who could qualify for I are not
white women, and more than 5.5 even aware of its existence."
tim as likely than white men Lockery al 0 ay that a
to live in poverty. larger prop�rtion of old.er
"The high level of poverty Blacks, pecially women, wid­
among older Blacks - both men owed or divorced, tend to live
and women - may be attributed alone and, therefore, are more
o
•
THE OW 0 c r
that fail th t would have to
repair eir cars. If th ir
008t is at I t 200, the ta
would issue a no-repair waiver
to the car owner.
She also id most repairs -
60 to 70 percent - would be
covered by new car warranti .
Furthermore, the bill would
create a centralized "teet-only"
network that would prohibit
testing facility from both check- .
ing and repairing cars. State
government would contract out
em' ions-inspecting ponsi­
bilities to private firms.
In the bill's original form, it
covered both Western Michigan
and the Detroit area. Macomb,
Oakland and Wayne counties al­
ready have a 1 expensive tail­
pipe-testing system.
But legislators amended the
bill on the House floor to only the
we stern counties, drawing com­
pla inta of regional favoritism
fro n west Michigan repra­
sematives.
C itics charge if a weaker test
is adequate for Detroit, then the
Legislature hould th
same tfo w
-I can' . why w n
a more stnngent test here," id
Holland busine man DeRoo.
"In Detroit, they have thousands
more cars."
But government officials an­
ticipate the EPA will redesig­
nate the Detroit area into
attainment. With the new clas­
sification, D troit would not
need an upgraded tailpipe-test­
ing program.
IN ADDITION, EPA offi­
cials and environmentalists con­
tend the weak Detroit system is
a
withou
y 0
htt
likely to be economically disad­
vantaged.
LOCKERY CALLS for in­
itiatives by federal, state and lo­
cal organizations to help
improve the economic conditions
for older adults, especially
Blacks.
Among her recommendations
are:
The federal Social Security
Administration should reassess
its plan to increase the age at
which a person can collect full
Social Security benefits·
• The Michigan Office of.
Servic to the Aging should
conduct state-level urvey that
focus specifically on the. needs of
the older Black adults;
Michigan legislator
should revise the SSI program
by raising-the economic "safety
net" beyond 75 percent of the
poverty level;
"Black church and other
organizations hould conduct
outreach efforts to identify per­
sons eligible, but not currently
receiving, SSI and oth r bene­
fits; and
The Michigan Office of
rvi to th Aging should in-
titute rvi uch as nutrition
programs, day care for the eld­
erly, and homemaker programs
g red to low-income elderly.
populations in urb n areas.
The
· ghland Par Chamber Of Commerce
Proudly Salutes the
DO
GO
A RetaU Development Located at Manchester Parkway and Wooc:lward Avenue
We extend a Warm Welcome to the Newest Members of Our;
Busine s Community:
PERRY DRUG STORE
BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT
SmLEY SHOES (expansion)
SUBWAY SANDWICHES
DOLLAR DAZE (D scourit Store)
ONE-PRICE CLOTHI G (WOOl n" App
PIZZA HUT {Carry -out)
FASHION CE TS (Women' Apparel)
CHINA ST� (R taurant)-
1) .
Join t e Grand Openi
,
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•
Priz ,Give-Aw y Entertainment - Refre hment
Special vin eel brlty Gue t . anta hi Elv