Weekly Summer Edition Ann Arbor, MI
inside NEWS
Cancer detection University researchers provide guidelines for prostate cancer detection.
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Dingell calls for support of EPA in light of budget cuts
>> SEE PAGE 2
NEWS
Health care Students respond to GOP Healthcare reform passage in the House.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
GOVERNMENT
Legislation introduced in state gov to regulate breath tests Proposed bill would only apply to minors not behind wheel
>> SEE PAGE 8
By REMI MURREY
OPINION
For the Daily
Campus climate “I am seemingly protected/ guarded by the ‘support’ of the administration...” >> SEE PAGE 5 MAX KUANG/Daily
U.S representative Debbie Dingell (D-Mich) speaks at the EPA Press Conference outside the EPA in Ann Arbor on Monday.
ARTS
TV: ‘Silicon Valley’ interview Josh Brener discusses real life Silicon Valley
>> SEE PAGE 5
Budget cuts to EPA funding could lay off 435 Ann Arborbased employees By JENNIFER MEER Summer Managing News Editor
SPORTS
Betsa’s legacy The ace right-hander leads Michigan into the postseason. >> SEE PAGE 12
INDEX Vol. CXXVIV, No. 72 | © 2017 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ...............................4 ARTS ......................................6 CLASSIFIEDS.........................8 MiC.........................................9 SPORTS................................ 10
On Monday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D–Michigan) addressed a crowd of approximately 70 media personnel, Environmental Protection Agency employees and environment advocates on the 2000 block of Traverwood Drive, outside the EPA office in Ann Arbor. The purpose of the press conference was to draw attention to severe cuts in EPA funding under the Trump administration that could threaten the closure of the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory — a part of the Ann Arbor facility that employees 435 people. The NVFEL, part of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, is a facility that provides
emission testing services for vehicles and engine programs, among other things, according to its website. It also certifies vehicles and engines that meet federal emissions and fuel economy standards. In a letter to Trump, dated April 19, Dingell voiced concern for the closure, asking the president to reconsider the “misguided idea” when making his final budget proposal to Congress. “Cutting EPA’s fuel economy and vehicle emissions budget would create uncertainty, cost jobs, and could potentially allow other nations to gain a competitive edge in this critically important work,” she wrote. Dingell, who toured the laboratory prior to speaking, said the work she observed inside “confirmed” what she knows happens every day at the EPA. “To the employees — the working men and women here — the work you do here every single day keeps our air clean to breathe and keeps our nation on the cutting edge,” she said. “You are our true public
servants and your work here has got to be protected.” Dingell noted the Trump administration is planning to cut EPA funding by $2.6 billion, a 31 percent decrease — the largest percentage cut of any agency in the president’s budget. She added it became evident through a leaked budget document that Trump is proposing drastic cuts to the EPA’s fuel economy and vehicle emission programs, possibly resulting in the closure of the NVFEL — an act she deemed “unacceptable.” “We need to understand what we have here in Ann Arbor, among us,” she said. “It is the world’s premier environmental compliance and transportation research center. This facility does critical work every single day to reduce the vehicle emissions and ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of innovation in this critical field, and that is critical to our staying competitive and creating jobs in this country.” See DINGELL, Page 3
The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a new bill which, if implemented, will require police to attain a warrant when performing a preliminary chemical breath analysis on people younger than the age of 21. The bill will specifically apply to minors who are not driving. House Bill 4213, proposed by state Rep. Peter Lucido (R–Shelby Township) would amend the Michigan Liquor Control Code to prohibit the administration of a preliminary breath analysis if a minor did not consent to it and require a police officer to seek a court order for such test. The new bill would also eliminate tickets and fines, and two points will no longer be added onto a minor’s driving record for refusing to submit to a breath test. In a Facebook post, Lucido emphasized the bill would not apply to youth behind the wheel, but rather in situations such as house parties or walking down the street. “Again, the bill would apply specifically to people who were NOT DRIVING,” he wrote. “Currently under state law, police can ask people under 21 to take breath tests in almost any scenario — at a party they break up, as passengers in a car they pull over or walking down the street — with probable cause.” University students such LSA senior Breanna Sullivan believe the law would be good to enact, adding on that a minor’s driving record should See BREATH TEST, Page 3