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(With apologies for cross postings) Today Speaker Rick Johnson and Rep. Ruth Johnson, chair of the House
Land Use and Environment Committee, released their legislative agenda for the 2003-2004
session. The agenda in includes
eight points:
The agenda specifically identifies some policies that environmentalists
have promoted for years, such as changing laws that force excessive landfill
capacity, improving monitoring of beaches, and clearing titles on some
abandoned or blighting properties.
Other proposals that have lingered and sound good on paper, but raise
the ire of environmentalists around the state include streamlining the plat
process for land preservation (a proposal that potentially obfuscates the role
of local zoning and planning) and implementing use value taxation for
agricultural lands (which has been shown in other states to exacerbate land
speculation rather than promote permanent preservation). As always the devil is in the details. Overall, the House Republicans have put forward another measured and fair
agenda that has the potential to forge bipartisan alliances and create real
change. Conan Smith Land Programs
Director Michigan
Environmental Council 119 Pere
Marquette, Suite 2A Lansing,
MI 48912 p. 517-487-9539 f. 517-487-9541 |