September 24 – Advocacy News
The Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted out Senate Bill 431 which prevents local governments from arbitrarily preventing aggregate mining in Michigan and consequently, saves tax dollars, fixes more roads and clarifies property rights for property owners all across Michigan.
The Michigan Chamber helped bring together business and labor to form the “Build It Strong Michigan Coalition” to support bi-partisan legislation that ensures expanded access to the raw materials needed for infrastructure repair are available. SB 431 will increase access to high-demand, construction-quality aggregates that are required for building durable infrastructure, such as roads and bridges consequently, creating good paying jobs for Michigan workers. Concrete and asphalt cannot be produced without aggregates like sand and gravel. Michigan needs to have proper policies in place to ensure we can rebuild crumbling infrastructure in a cost-effective manner.
Whenever any mining issues come up, there are always questions about the impact on the environment. It is important to note that great care has been taken by Senator’s Hollier (D-Detroit) and Barrett (R – Charlotte) to ensure that concerns surrounding environmental protection were fully debated and addressed during the committee process. SB 431 contains protective measures to ensure drinking water supplies and neighboring residents are safeguarded and state environmental regulatory measures are followed throughout the entire process.
The Michigan Chamber is a strong supporter of SB 431 because it protects taxpayers, the environment and creates jobs. We are urging Senate leadership to schedule a vote of the full Senate as soon as possible.
For more information on this initiative and the Build it Strong Michigan Coalition, please contact Dan Papineau at dpapineau@michamber.com