July 9, 2004

The Department of Environmental Quality has announced that it has been selected as an award recipient in the EPA 2003-2004 State Innovation Grant Program competition. The DEQ’s pilot project called “Michigan Environmental Results Program (MERP) for the Dry Cleaning Sector” is expected to receive $196,200 to develop and implement a dry cleaning sector MERP program. The dry cleaning sector MERP will replace the traditional permitting process and incorporate the air, water, and waste requirements into a multi-media, self-certification compliance assistance package.

MERP will allow the DEQ to apply a multi-media outreach approach to the dry cleaning sector statewide. With over 900 dry cleaning facilities in Michigan, this program recognizes the need to keep them safe and in compliance with clean air regulations. Using this outreach effort, the DEQ hopes to move this sector to a 100% compliance rate.

Twenty-five states responded to this year’s State Innovation Grant competition, with Michigan being one of ten selected. The proposals cover a variety of ideas relating to innovation in environmental permitting.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised July 9, 2004 by Pat Watson