Heart of the Lakes
  • HOME
    • Board and Staff
    • Members and Friends
    • Strategic Vision
    • FAQ
  • News
    • Events
    • Protected Lands
  • People & Place
    • History of MI Conservation
    • Land Conservancies
    • Landowner Options
  • Tools
    • Michigan Model
    • Community Building
    • Funding/Partnership Options >
      • Michigan DNR
      • MI Dept. of Agriculture
  • Initiatives
    • Adventure Hub
    • Farmland Preservation
    • Getting Outside During a Pandemic
    • Passion & Purpose
    • Places Create Stories
    • protectMI
    • Taking Action // The Path Ahead
    • Urban Conservation

New Bill Impacts Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

3/21/2015

 
This week Heart of the Lakes testified before the Senate Natural Resources Committee to oppose SB 206, legislation introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R-Evart). The bill would have detrimental impacts on the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund , arguably one of Michigan’s great success stories:  one-time revenues from the development of state-owned oil and gas resources are invested in long-term state and local natural resource protection, outdoor recreation, trails, and parks that reap environmental, economic and quality of life benefits throughout the state.

As currently written, the wide-ranging bill would override some of the spending and priority policies of the Governor’s appointed Trust Fund Board.  Specifically, Sen. Booher wants the full amount of funding available for recreational development projects awarded as grants given the high volume of applications in recent years.  Because the Trust Fund is at its constitutional cap and can spend only interest and earnings, the Trust Fund board currently sets some dollars aside in growth and stabilization funds to prevent erosion of its spending power due to rising PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) costs, inflation and other factors.

 Significantly, the bill would also:

•    Prevent the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from seeking any other federal

or state funds for land acquisition until they first seek and then are denied an application to the Trust Fund.  In essence, the DNR could not leverage other public funding sources first.   It could also force all state land acquisitions to be pursued solely through the Trust Fund, which compete against local government acquisition applications, putting even greater demands on the popular grant program.

 

•    Prohibit the DNR from restricting access on any lands it acquires through the Trust

Fund; broadly interpreted that could mean all uses on all lands at all times—a recipe for user conflicts, degradation of public lands, and lower quality experiences.

 

•    Restate the requirement that the Trust Fund pay PILT on all state lands acquired with

    Trust Fund dollars.

 

•    Reverse current policy and allow for the repurchase of already publicly held lands,

including those purchased with federal Pittman-Robertson dollars, thereby shifting their status to “Trust Fund acquired” lands.  That shift would then prevent the DNR from restricting access to those lands and require the Trust Fund to make PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) on those lands—again, overall shrinking the grant capacity of the Trust Fund.  

•    Require that 25% of funds available for land acquisition be spent on trails.  While on
its face that may align with many state and local trail priorities, a statutory mandate to fund certain types of projects has the untended consequence of potentially elevating poorly conceived projects over those of higher quality.

 

Meetings with Sen. Booher and conservancies in his district are in the works, Heart of the Lakes and other members will meet with other key Senators to address our concerns.  In addition to Heart of the Lakes, DNR Director Creagh testified against SB 206 at the hearing, as did the Michigan Environmental Council and the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association. The Conservation Fund, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, and the Sierra Club also registered their opposition.


Comments are closed.

    Categories

    All
    Accreditation
    Advocacy
    Agriculture
    Conservation Easement
    Conservation Hero
    Executive Director
    Farm Bill
    Farmland Preservation
    Heart Of The Lakes
    Jobs
    Land Conservancies
    Michigan
    Outdoor Economy
    Outreach
    Position Closed
    Tax Benefits

    Archives

    May 2025
    November 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    May 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    June 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    April 2013

    RSS Feed


Heart of the Lakes strengthens the collective efforts of organizations dedicated to the conservation of Michigan’s environmentally and economically significant land and water. We provide leadership, innovative ideas, and advocate for smart public policy for the benefit of our communities and for generations to come.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Heart of the Lakes
PO Box 1128
Bay City, MI  48706
Heart of the Lakes is a statewide organization that concentrates and strengthens the efforts of Michigan’s land conservation community. Founded by Michigan’s land conservancies, Heart of the Lakes does what no individual organization can do on its own-- unites them under the common goal of protecting Michigan’s land. 

BACK TO TOP

Heart of the Lakes
P.O. Box 1128 Bay City, MI  48706
989-292-3582

© DivTag Templates Ltd | All Rights Reserved