Michigan Environmental Council Statement: Senate acts to put public lands up for sale

Michigan Environmental Council (MEC) Deputy Policy Director Sean Hammond issued the following statement in response to the Senate’s approval of SB 302 and 303 on Thursday, October 19.

"We are disappointed that, once again, the Michigan Senate has passed bills that falsely presume that having an abundance of public land is a bad thing. These bills declare that any public land in Michigan is up for sale, all you have to do is ask."

The Senate introduced similar legislation in 2016 (SB 39 and 40) which failed to pass the House.

"Protected public lands are an important economic driver for many communities. We urge the House to reject this legislation and allow the Department of Natural Resources to do its job of managing our public lands for the health, benefit, and enjoyment of all Michiganders."

"These two bills fail to reflect the long hours of work done in the 2015-2016 session to reach a true compromise. We hope that the House will work from Rep. Howell’s bills on this topic (HB 4475 and 4476), which represent the work done throughout the previous session and are very close to a true compromise bill that will ensure Michigan’s public lands are protected and used to their fullest."

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