More than 20 groups are urging Michigan lawmakers to reject two bills they say would turn the state’s farmland and rural towns into dumping grounds for poorly regulated industrial waste.

The organizations warn that House Bills 4257 and 4265 would weaken Michigan’s environmental protections by easing oversight of the farm waste processed in anaerobic digesters. They say this could pollute nearby communities, fuel large-scale Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, and put small farms at risk.

Cheryl Ruble, a doctor and environmental health advocate, explains why she believes these bills would benefit the oil, waste, and agribusiness sectors.

“Increased biogas production, expansion of CAFOs, new CAFO construction,” Ruble said. “What these bills would do is make it easier and cheaper to dispose of harmful, sometimes toxic, industrial waste streams.”

Supporters of the bills say they would simplify rules, helping farmers use anaerobic digesters to turn waste into renewable energy that could power a million homes. They also contend that if passed, the legislation would create jobs, making it easier to expand biogas projects in Michigan.