By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp.- The dust has finally settled on proposed statewide legislation that would prohibit local ordinances banning mining if certain criteria were met.
During the Dec. 14, township meeting, Bob DePalma, township supervisor reported that Senate Bill 431 has been defeated ended year long battle.
In August 2019, Mich. Sen. Adam Hollier-(D-Detroit, District 2) introduced Senate Bill 431 backed by the gravel industry, that would remove most of the jurisdiction of local government to deny permits to land owners for gravel mining operations.
The bill, was discussed in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would have amend the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act and would prohibit local governments, like Groveland Township, from refusing permits to gravel mines, as long as the resources available on the site are valuable and unless “very serious consequences” would result from their extraction. The bill outlined certain limitations on a local unit of government’s regulation of a mining operation.
DePalma said the rights of municipalities that are home to gravel mining sites were at risk.
“They tried to take the bill and put a two year sunset on it, which means that if it was approved they had two year to figure out what they wanted to do with the bill. Our State Senator Ruth Johnson (R-Groveland Twp.) worked harder than anyone on defeating this bill.”
The bill died in December by only four votes.
“We are safe for now,” he said. “Thanks to all of Sen. Johnson work. The good guys won this time.”
Supporters of the bill said legislation ensures that Michigan’s infrastructure builders can fully access the states naturally abundant supply of construction-grade aggregates through increased sand and gravel mining closer to major construction zones. Aggregates are the building blocks of the concrete and asphalt needed to rebuild our state’s roads, bridges, sewers and other infrastructure.
“This law takes away … the control that I believe we need,” DePalma said during testimony to the senate committee in Lansing. The day-to-day operations issues can generally be dealt with on the local level, although it can become more difficult in cases such as a company pursuing a major expansion of operations.”
Currently, there are five active mines in Groveland Township, one on the Holly-Groveland township boarder and one in nearby Springfield Township.