In the hew and cry regarding Nestle and its attempt to withdraw 400 gallons of water per minute (more on that in another post), I’ve seen almost no press regarding two attempts from Wisconsin to withdraw far more than that. Withdrawals of water from the Great Lakes are governed by the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River …

On Tuesday, Gov. Snyder announced a proposal to spend $79 Million annually on brownfield site clean-up, waste management planning, asbestos removal, recycling grants, water quality monitoring, and state park infrastructure. These are all laudable goals – but one has to question  – where is the money to come from?  The Governor wants to raise a …

As demands for municipal services increase, costs go up and tax revenues flatten or fall, what is a municipality to do?  Most Michigan politicians have decided that even to suggest more taxes is the kiss of death.  Everyone agrees Michigan’s roads need work.  The gas tax went up on January 1 and even that increase …

The bills passed.  At last.  As you may recall from two years ago, I served on an MDEQ-led task force to review and improve the “patchwork quilt” of statutes and rules regarding brownfield redevelopment incentives, grants, and loans.  A CSI II group (of which, in full disclosure, I chaired the Legislative Committee) met regularly in …