George Weeks: Snyder wisely vetoes first bill

George Weeks

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George Weeks

December 4, 2011

By GEORGE WEEKS Syndicated Columnist The Record Eagle Thu Feb 09, 2012, 03:35 PM EST

For governors, the pen is mightier than the pulpit.

With their strokes, they put into office judges and others who often outlast the governors; sign bills into law; and, on relatively rare occasions, veto legislation.

So it was last week when Gov. Rick Snyder -- in a move widely hailed by environmentalists but not business interests -- in the last month of his first year in office cast his very first veto of an entire bill. It was of a bill that would have prohibited Michigan's governor and state agencies from imposing any rule that exceeds federal standards unless approved by the Legislature.

(He previously vetoed some items within budget bills.)

Raves for vetoing this misguided bill passed by the GOP-ruled Legislature came quickly from the Michigan Environmental Council (MEC), the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Clean Water Action, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Ecology Center, Michigan League of Conservation Voters and the BlueGreen Alliance.

Many union groups also opposed the bill. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce urged him to sign it.

MEC President Chris Kolb said of the "No Stricter Than Federal" legislation:

"This is a clumsy piece of legislation that would have subjected Michigan's world-class water resources to the same rules as water in Arizona or New Mexico. Federal standards are designed as a floor from which states may build rules that make sense for their unique needs."

A particularly interesting player in this is the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, which not only endorsed Snyder in the early 2010 primary election but also now maintains a "How Green Is Your Governor?" tracking record that after his veto offered this summary of his actions: Positive, 17; Neutral, 9; Negative, 11.

Ryan Werder, the league's political and campaigns director, said, "Gov. Snyder takes a major step in reaffirming his dedication to protecting Michigan's environment that was a focus of his 2010 campaign. The veto also preserves the right of future governors to enforce crucial regulations to preserve the Great Lakes, just as Governor (William G.) Milliken did in the past to save Lake Erie from toxic algae blooms in 1976."

Executive Director Andy Buchsbaum, of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center, said, "Gov. Snyder has delivered an early holiday gift that is particularly meaningful for the Great Lakes. His veto recognizes that the Great Lakes are special and need special protections, and that the federal 'one size fits all' approach won't always work. His veto keeps the 'great' in the Great Lakes state."

The veto was only the second significant split between the Republican governor and the Legislature ruled by his party. In October, a Senate panel defeated Snyder's high-priority bill for a new public bridge across the Detroit River to Canada.

The veto came the same day that Snyder signed some bills to ease other regulations. Among them was a bill by Rep. Greg McMaster, R-Kewadin, requiring the Department of Environmental Quality to provide specific reasons for denying a permit, including references to regulations and scientific information when applicable.

With his veto, Snyder said that while he strongly supports the bill's goal of reducing burdensome regulations, he was concerned the legislation "would inhibit the state's ability to work with businesses and citizens to ensure that our regulatory structure fits Michigan's unique profile."

The Detroit Free Press reported that Ari Adler, a spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, said the bill Snyder vetoed still would allow for stricter regulations. It would just require that such rules be approved by the Legislature.

Currently, Michigan has some stronger regulations that go beyond federal minimums in protecting the Great Lakes and Michigan's natural resources. Among them:

Restrictions on ballast water discharges of invasive species; protections for the Great Lakes and Michigan's inland waters against phosphorus loading that lead to damaging algal blooms; and protections for isolated wetlands that provide clean water, healthy wildlife habitat, and abundant hunting opportunities.

The Michigan United Conservation Clubs observed: "Grass carp, a fish that has similar impacts on fisheries and ecosystems as the Asian carp, is one of those species banned by the state of Michigan, but is not banned under Federal regulations. Grass carp is just one of six invasive fish that Michigan's regulations protect against."

Also last week on the battlefront against invasive species, Attorney General Bill Schuette moderated a session on the issue before a meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General in San Antonio, Texas.

He said, "Invasive species like Asian carp and zebra mussels cause massive economic and ecological destruction to states across the nation. It's time for Congress to take action and close the wide-open doorway in Chicago."

As I've often observed, the feds are dithering on the issue. It's all the more reason for Snyder to insist on power to impose stronger protections beyond federal minimums.