Legislative Agenda 2023
Be it resolved that Michigan Waterfront Alliance encourages the state legislature to adopt legislation that would:
1. Engage in a comprehensive exotic aquatic invasive species (AIS) focused assessment of the waters of Michigan.
2. Acquire and categorize available information of all attempts to control or eradicate exotic invasive plant and animal species.
3. Identify actions to be taken by the state and designate funding sources to pay for the eradication and control of AIS.
4. Pressure the state executive and legislative branches to provide enhanced funding levels to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, particularly in the areas of aquatic invasive species management and Public Act 451 regulatory enforcement.
5. Provide for boat washing facilities and inclusion of sanitary hook-up where available, at all public access sites.
6. Creation of a State of Michigan inland lakes focused sustainable aquatic invasive species management funding mechanism. Funding mechanism must include at least a partial redistribution of cost of AIS management from lakefront homeowners to the boating and lake user public.
7. Confront and seek a revision of Michigan Waterways Commission policy of continued expansion of public boat launch facilities which exponentially increases the risk for the introduction of new aquatic invasive plants and animals and overcrowding of inland lakes leading to the risk of exceeding their carrying capacities.
ii. Continue to educate and/or otherwise pressure local government officials and law enforcement to enhance implementation of Public Act 56.
iii. Continue to “educate” state legislators regarding the need for enhanced regulatory protection of Michigan lakes, streams and wetlands. This would include state codification of certain low impact development techniques when developing near a lake, stream or wetland.
1. We support current or future legislation that expands the current Michigan bottle deposit law.
2. We support legislation that closes the loophole that allows phosphorus in Dishwater Detergent.
3. We support legislation that requires property owners to have their septic system inspected and, if needed, upgraded prior to sale.
4. We support legislation changes to control/enforce boat noise on inland lakes.
iv. Encourage DNR and Fisheries Department to factor the economic and recreational value added to Michigan’s residents by lake level control dams or legal lake levels into their recommendations.
v. Swimmers Itch. The DNR must be convinced that it is much more than just a minor irritation.
vi. Also, we would like the gas tax that goes to lakes be used on inland lakes as well as the Laurentian Great lakes. If that money could be used as grant money, the lake association could apply for grants to maintain their lakes. The money could be used for treating lakes for invasive species, or other issue that lake association are doing to protect our inland lakes.
