LANSING (AP) — The state Senate approved legislation Tuesday aimed at boosting the logging industry in Michigan.
The
bills would provide tax incentives for private landowners to allow
timber cutting on their property and give regulators fewer reasons to
bar logging in state forests.
The Republican-controlled Senate
voted unanimously or overwhelmingly to send many of the bills to the
House, which has approved similar legislation.
But the Senate
voted 26-12, with 11 Democrats and one Republican in opposition, to
target what the Michigan Department of Natural Resources calls
‘‘limiting factors’’ — reasons why the agency might not allow logging
in specific locations in forest land.
That bill would abolish factors that aren’t in state or federal law.
Critics
said the bill puts too much emphasis on cutting timber at the expense
of preserving the habitat and protecting forest land for hunting and
recreation.
Kelly Dardzinski of Environment Michigan said the
Senate-passed version of the legislation is an improvement over the
House version but added in a statement: ‘‘We remain concerned at the
timber industry’s continued attempts to force the Legislature to treat
our state forests as little more than tree farms for their profit.’’
But
supporters said Michigan has one of the country’s largest surpluses of
timber and must log more of it to stay competitive and keep down wood
costs.
A sponsor of one bill, Republican Sen. Gerald Van
Woerkom of Norton Shores, said Michigan’s forest industry has struggled
in recent years.
‘‘My effort encourages private landowners to
properly manage their land so timber supplies increase and this natural
resource is preserved for future generations,’’ he said in a statement.
Lawmakers voting against the bill involving cutting on state
forest land were Republican Bruce Patterson of Canton and Democrats Liz
Brater of Ann Arbor, Hansen Clarke of Detroit, Burton Leland of
Detroit, Martha Scott of Highland Park, Deborah Cherry of Burton, Bob
Emerson of Flint, Buzz Thomas of Detroit, Irma Clark-Coleman of
Detroit, Gilda Jacobs of Huntington Woods, Mark Schauer of Battle Creek
and Gretchen Whitmer of East Lansing.
