ProtectingThe Environment
David Leyton understands that the Attorney General can play a critical role in protecting the environment. Ensuring that our land, air, and water resources are not compromised by corporate polluters and that conservation efforts must be sustained, encouraged, and enforced will be a hallmark of his legacy as Attorney General.
As a member of the Flint Township Board of Trustees, David Leyton saw first hand the
devastating impact that manufacturing facilities can have on the environment. For many years prior to David Leyton’s being elected to the Township Board, General Motors was dumping toxic paint remnants on a large parcel of land in Flint Township. The property lay dormant for many years and a group of parents in the Carman-Ainsworth school district wanted to turn the land into a soccer complex for the AYSO.
Concerned about the potential harm that could be caused by the underlying toxic dumpsite, David Leyton took action. Over the objections of many who wanted to till the land, lay seed, set up the nets, and start playing, David forced a Department of Environmental Quality investigation of the land. Based on the alarming results showing dangerous levels of contamination, David rallied his fellow Board members to force GM to place a protective layer well beneath the surface before any black dirt could be brought in and placed there. Only when the DEQ certified that the land was safe would he vote to allow the soccer complex to be built. Although the cleanup of the site was expensive and time consuming, David Leyton understood that the health and welfare of the children came first. Today, that land is home to a beautiful soccer complex enjoyed by the AYSO.
Another fight that David Leyton led to protect his constituents from unsafe environmental conditions involved a contaminated neighborhood well. A local Flint Township neighborhood had been using ground water for decades that contained dangerous levels of arsenic. The residents didn’t want to tap into city water and fought efforts to make them do so. They wanted to continue using the contaminated water at their own risk and it was quite a battle between them and the Township Board. But David Leyton knew something had to be done so he saw to it that the well was closed and today those residents enjoy safe and clean city water. It was a battle, for sure, and things got heated at times but it was the right thing to do.
Fighting for the environment and for the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens is a top priority for David Leyton and he will continue to lead the fight as Michigan’s next Attorney General—just as he has done throughout his years in public service.