As the Environmental Protection Agency scales back enforcement because of staff shortages and new federal rollbacks, concerns are growing about who will hold polluters accountable.

Michigan, with more than 11,000 inland lakes and four Great Lakes holding 90% of the nation’s freshwater, faces challenges as EPA budget cuts slash enforcement by nearly 20% and eliminate more than 200 staff.

In a recent webinar hosted by the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Director Howard Learner said his organization commissions polling and focus groups every two years on clean-water issues in the Great Lakes.

“And it’s an 85% issue,” Learner said. “It’s almost as if when you push people and you say, how much should we do to protect the Great Lakes and restore them? It’s like, whatever it costs, you do it.”

Supporters of EPA cuts, especially in energy, manufacturing, and agriculture contend that strict environmental rules are too costly for businesses.

In late 2024, more than 100 industry groups urged then-President-elect Donald Trump to roll back regulations they said were strangling the economy.