Wednesday, May 26, 2010

State of Michigan Attempting to Claim all Water

Jeebus, I should’ve stayed in the crick.  I just perused our local rag, The Grand Rapids Press, and read the following in the Public Pulse (no online link available at this time).

Water legislation a property grab
Organizations are canvassing neighborhoods saying that a water bill now in the House protects Michigan’s water for its residents.  What they’re not telling us (note the use of the term “us,” here - ed.) is that the bill takes all water rights under our (note the use on the term “our,” here - ed.) property and gives them to the state.  This would allow the government to fine, fee, and permit for any water taken from under our (note, once again, the use of the term “our,” here - ed.) property.  This is one of the largest seizures of private property rights in our (“our” again - ed.) recent history.

If there’s one thing Michigan has is lots of water.

This already has halted businesses that require water use from coming to Michigan, thereby, losing jobs.  Michigan already has laws to protect our water rights.  We don’t need more government taking rights away.  We lose our (there’s that “our,” again - ed.) freedoms and rights one law at a time.

State Representative Dave Agema (R) (ital. by ed.)

Note that the bill number for this monstrosity of legislation was conveniently not in Agema’s letter.  I searched online for a bit, but because the mi.gov search engine is lacking in specificity, I ended up calling Agema’s office, and I have never, in my life, called a politician.  The individual answering the phone was very pleasant, when not asking for contact information, and thus I was able to obtain the bill number.

Sure enough, House Bill No. 5319 (pdf of 2 pgs.) is an attempt by the State of Michigan to lay claim to all groundwater within the state.

A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled
“Natural resources and environmental protection act,”
(MCL 324.101 to 324.90106) by adding part 4.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
PART 4. 1 PUBLIC TRUST RESOURCES
2 SEC. 401. (1) THE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATURAL
3 RESOURCES OF THE STATE ARE OF PARAMOUNT PUBLIC CONCERN IN THE
4 INTEREST OF THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND GENERAL WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE,
5 AND THE AIR, WATER, AND OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE SHALL
6 BE PROTECTED FROM POLLUTION, IMPAIRMENT, AND DESTRUCTION.
7 (2) THE WATERS OF THE STATE, INCLUDING GROUNDWATER, ARE HELD
8 IN TRUST BY THE STATE. THE STATE SHALL PROTECT THESE WATERS AND
9 OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC TRUST FOR…

While I am pleased that Dave Agema opposes this bill, the fact of the matter is, being a politician, Agema will mouth the correct candied phrases regarding private property and loss of freedom and rights, and utilize terms such “us” and “our” only in a false I feel your pain convenience, and never when he is pushing a bill he would support.

Posted by John Venlet on 05/26 at 02:34 PM
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