The Senate passed the Department of Transportation budget, which included an amendment to de-fund the Detroit River International Crossing Study, a project designed to help determine the type and location of a new or expanded bridge over the Detroit River. The decision-making process will now move forward without evaluations of alternatives or potential health impacts on the residents of Michigan.
The Department of Environmental Quality budget has still not been taken up by the Senate.
BP decided (after extreme public pressure) to put “its money where its mouth is” and will expand its refinery in Indiana without increasing pollution.
SENATE
Passed:
SB 633: A bill to designate the deer hunting season for certain disabled veterans to correspond with youth firearm deer hunting days.
On the floor:
SB 502: A bill to require a complainant to provide his or her name to the department of environmental quality when submitting a complaint concerning a farm.
HB 4597: A bill to provide for hunting on Department of Natural Resources controlled land.
In committee:
n/a
HOUSE
Adopted:
HCR 0040: A concurrent resolution to oppose the proposed increase in materials discharged into Lake Michigan by British Petroleum at Whiting, Indiana.
HR 172: A resolution to urge the Congress of the United States and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to address the recent approval of increased pollution by British Petroleum into the Great Lakes.
Passed:
HB 4641: A bill to allow a county board of commissioners to change name of office of county drain commissioner to office of the water resources commissioner and authorize and increase amount of bond.
HB 4642: A bill to provide for a definition of the term "visibly in existence".
HB 4643: A bill to clarify liability for certain legal expenses of a drainage district.
HB 4644: A bill to increase the enforcement power for removing obstructions or interferences with drains.
HB 4688: A bill to double the amount a drain commissioner can spend on maintenance of a drain (from $2,500 to $5,000) – and assess those costs to taxpayers within a special assessment district. The taxpayers in such a district have no right to a vote on the maintenance project.
On the floor:
HB 4711-13: Bills to amend the brownfield redevelopment act to allow more costs to be covered by captured tax revenues and change the MDEQ approval process for some of those costs.
SB 350: A bill to create an animal welfare fund.
In committee: n/a
