October 12th, 2020 Dear Michigan Senators, We urge you to take up and support the substitute version of Senate Bill 241 sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit). The bill places a statewide moratorium on water shut offs through the end of the year and ensures water service is restored to any Michigander currently shut off. Access to water is essential to human life at any time, but even more so during a public health pandemic when hand washing and bathing is critical to limiting spread and exposure to COVID-19. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-144 required public water supplies to restore water service to Michiganders across the state during the state of emergency. The EO allowed low-income households – many of whom are fixed income, unemployed, underemployed and/or essential workers – to have essential water service. The recent Michigan Supreme Court decision invalidated the EO, leaving behind an inadequate patchwork of local policies for water access for our most vulnerable Michigan households, including the elderly, children, people with disabilities, and pregnant women. Michiganders across the state are experiencing financial hardship that has put their access to basic utility services at risk. This is a statewide problem that needs a statewide solution. Unfortunately, Michigan has no comprehensive water service reporting requirements so access to data on water shut offs is limited. In Detroit – the most glaring example of water unaffordability and shut offs – a Freedom of Information Act request by Joel Kurth from Bridge Magazine found that 9,500 occupied homes that were disconnected for non-payment in 2019 were still without service in mid-January 2020.1 Further, a national survey found that the average water utility disconnected five percent of households for nonpayment in 2016, affecting an estimated 15 million Americans.2 EO 2020-144 did include a one-time reporting requirement, but the reporting from public water supplies under the EO was flawed and filled with gaps and missing data points. Even with those data gaps, an analysis of that reporting conducted by Michigan Environmental Council revealed that well over 1,000 households had water shut off due to non-payment at the time the EO was issued, including 13 occupied homes in Ann Arbor, 15 in Jackson, 20 in Monroe, and 98 in Highland Park. Given the limited nature of the data and the severity of economic hardship experienced currently by Michiganders, we believe the real extent of water shut offs across Michigan to have been much larger. During the pandemic and economic downturn, many Michigan residents are struggling to keep up with their water bills. As part of SB 690 the Legislature rightly included $25 million in direct assistance to help Michiganders pay their water bills and provide some measure of protection against potential shut offs. Water utilities, however, had to opt in for this assistance program and not all did. Only 132 of the approximately 1,400 community water system in Michigan opted in to the program, meaning that many Michiganders now have no protection from potential shut offs and very little access to bill assistance. The attached chart compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council from data provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) shows the utilities that have opted in to the program as well as the extent of accrued arrearages addressed by the assistance program. The chart underscores the depth of financial difficulties currently faced by Michiganders. To-date the assistance program has helped over 75,000 Michigan water- insecure households in cities, villages, and townships across the state address water bill arrearages that have accumulated during COVID. We understand that restoration of water service incurs costs and that many public water supplies across the state are also struggling financially. Recently MDHHS created the Water Repair Assistance Program to help public water supplies cover the costs of water restorations, including where water disconnections led to 1 Bridge Magazine, Coronavirus Fears Renew Calls for Gov. Whitmer to End Detroit Water Shutoffs, March 2, 2020, https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/coronavirus-fears-renew-calls-gov-whitmer-end-detroit-water- shutoffs 2 Food & Water Watch, America’s Secret Water Crisis, October 2018, https://www.foodandwater watch.org/ insight/americas-secret-water-crisis damaged or corroded water or sewer mains and household plumbing.3 This program will help ease the burden of water restorations for water service providers however, Michigan residents still face a patchwork of inadequate local policies for access to water service that can only be remedied by a statewide solution. Access to water is fundamental to life, especially when fighting COVID-19, which necessitates constant hand- washing and proper sanitation. Lack of water places Michigan residents and community places – including schools, worksites, places of worship, and other shared spaces – at risk. Research conducted by We the People of Detroit demonstrated the clear correlation between water shut offs and COVID-19, showing that areas of Detroit where there were the highest rates of water shut offs were also the same areas hardest hit by COVID- 19.4 Access to water also will support fully opening our economy and getting our children back in school buildings full time. We respectfully urge you to take up and support Senate Bill 241 and provide the water access protections all Michiganders need to weather this global pandemic in safety and security. Sincerely, Crystal Davis Kristy Meyer Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement Associate Director Alliance for the Great Lakes Freshwater Future Sylvia Orduño and Nicole Hill Nicholas James Occhipinti Coordinators Director of Government Affairs People's Water Board Coalition Michigan League of Conservation Voters Charlotte Jameson Monica Lewis-Patrick Program Director for Legislative Affairs, Energy, CEO Drinking Water We the People of Detroit Michigan Environmental Council Rev. Edward Pinkney Liz Kirkwood, J.D. Chairman, Benton Harbor Community Water Executive Director Council FLOW (For Love Of Water) President-CEO, Black Autonomy Network Community Organization Christy McGillivray Political and Legislative Director Cyndi Roper Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter Michigan Senior Policy Advocate Natural Resources Defense Council Jennifer McKay Policy Director Anthony Spaniola, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Member MPART Citizens Advisory Work Group Rebecca Meuninck Deputy Director Maureen Taylor Ecology Center State Chair Michigan Welfare Rights Organizations Bill Wood Executive Director West Michigan Environmental Action Council 3 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, New Program Helps Low-Income Households That Lack Water Access; Funding is important for protection from COVID-19, October 2, 2020, https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339--541785--,00.html 4 WLNS6, Detroit Water Shutoffs Led to More COVID-19 Cases, July 9, 2020 https://www.wlns.com/news/michigan/detroit-water-shutoffs-led-to-more-covid-19-cases/ Water Utility Assistance Program5 Water County SD Senator HD Representative Total Arrearage Total Total Provider Amount Arrearage Household (Submitted) (Amount Participants Capped) City Of Wayne 2 Adam 4 Vacant $168,673.48 $168,673.48 664 Hamtramck Hollier-D Highland Wayne 2 Adam 7 LaTanya Garrett- $206,597.31 $206,597.31 637 Park Hollier-D D Romulus Wayne 6 Erika 12 Alex Garza-D $160,742.30 $160,742.30 676 Geiss-D City Of Wayne 7 Dayna 16 Kevin Coleman- $107,056.50 $107,056.50 426 Wayne Polehanki- D D Ash Monroe 17 Dale Zorn- 17 Joseph Bellino - $6,496.53 $6,496.53 27 Township R R Berlin Monroe 17 Dale Zorn- 17 Joesph Bellino-R $3,771.42 $3,520.69 9 Township R City Of Monroe 17 Dale Zorn- 17 Joseph Bellino-R $188,243.04 $188,243.04 323 Monroe R City Of Macomb 9 Paul 22 John Chirkun-D $162,001.68 $162,001.68 735 Roseville Wojno-D City Of Wayne 1 Stephanie 23 Darrin Camilleri- $26,421.84 $26,421.84 88 Trenton Chang-D D Charter Macomb 8 Peter 24 Steve Marino-R $23,085.76 $23,085.76 74 Township Of Lucido-R Harrison City Of Oakland 11 Jeremy 26 Jim Ellison-D $18,187.09 $18,187.09 81 Madison Moss-D Heights City Of Oakland 11 Jeremy 27 Robert $4,028.17 $4,028.17 6 Huntington Moss-D Wittenberg-D Woods Oakland Oakland 11 Jeremy 27 Robert $19,350.40 $16,775.96 82 WRC - Moss-D Wittenberg-D Ferndale Oakland Oakland 12 Rosemary 29 Brenda Carter-D $557,443.18 $536,337.06 2,092 WRC - Bayer-D Pontiac Oakland Oakland 15 Jim 29 Brenda Carter-D $4,546.17 $3,232.96 13 WRC - Keego Runestad-R Harbor Oakland Oakland 15 Jim 29 Brenda Carter-D $398.37 $398.37 1 WRC - Runestad-R Orchard Lake City Of Utica Macomb 8 Peter 30 Diana Farrington- $5,749.37 $5,484.60 12 Lucido-R R Chesterfield Macomb 8 Peter 32 Pamela $20,008.69 $20,008.69 94 Township Lucido-R Hornberger-R 5 Data from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, compiled by Natural Resources Defense Council on October 12, 2020 City Of New Macomb 8 Peter 32 Pamela $41,928.49 $41,928.49 165 Baltimore Lucido-R Hornberger-R Ira Township St. Clair 25 Dan 32 Pamela $2,837.45 $2,837.45 7 Lauwers-R Hornberger-R Kimball St. Clair 25 Dan 32 Pamela $10,039.09 $10,039.09 50 Township Lauwers-R Hornberger-R Village of Macomb 25 Dan 33 Jeff Yaroch-R $1,573.65 $1,573.65 5 Armada Lauwers-R Oakland Oakland 12 Rosemary 35 Kyra Harris $577.40 $577.40 5 WRC - Bayer-D Bolden-D Franklin Charter Macomb 8 Peter 36 Douglas $4,788.39 $4,788.39 9 Township Of Lucido-R Wozniak-R