Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order that will restructure the Department of Environmental Quality as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).  Governor Whitmer’s executive order also establishes three new offices within the EGLE:

• Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate

• Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate

• Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team

The change will officially go into effect on April 7, 2019.

“This is about finding real solutions to clean up our drinking water so every Michigander can bathe their kids and give them a glass of water at the dinner table safely,” said Gov. Whitmer, in the official release announcing the executive order. “We have a chance to build a system that really works so we can protect our water and improve public health. We’ve also got to take action to protect our state from the effects of climate change. The science is in, and it’s time we get to work to mitigate the impact of climate change for the sake of our kids and future generations in Michigan.” 

Michigan’s environmental regulatory agency has undergone several changes over the last 30 years.  Here’s a quick look at the recent history of the department:

2019 EGLE: Executive order issued changing name of department from MDEQ.

2011 MDEQ: The DNRE is abolished and replaced with the MDEQ. A new DNR is also created, maintaining responsibility for natural resources.

2009 DNRE: The DNRE is created as a consolidation of the MDEQ and MDNR.

1995 MDEQ: The MDEQ is created, removing environmental regulatory programs from the MDNR.

Merit Laboratories is Michigan’s environmental laboratory, analyzing soil, wastewater, groundwater, drinking water, and other sample matrices at our laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan.  Please contact Merit Laboratories for assistance on your laboratory testing needs.