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KEWEENAW COUNTY — The County Board at its regular monthly meeting July 19 joined the growing list of counties supporting opposition to an attempt by downstate

By GRAHAM JAEHNIG gjaehnig@mininggazette.com KEWEENAW COUNTY — The County Board at its regular monthly meeting July 19 joined the growing list of counties

LANSING — A not-in-my-backyard fight over opening new mines to source aggregates for Michigan road and bridge projects is back before lawmakers, with a coalition of industry groups and labor unions pushing bills that are opposed by municipalities and environmental organizations. The legislation…

Democrats

Democrats

The Michigan state house was packed May 9 as lawmakers heard from aggregate industry representatives and “local control” supporters. The discussion concerned recently introduced legislation that would hand permitting of aggregate mines, from local governments, over to the state.

The Michigan Aggregates Association wants mining approval taken from local governments and given to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Lawmakers revive years-long debate over who has authority over siting new sand and gravel mines: municipalities or the state?

Here we go again. Just when it appeared the greater Metamora community had dodged state legislation that would reduce local control to prohibit or restrict operations of a new gravel mine in the community, there is a yet another push by lawmakers to make it easier for the gravel industry to usurp local municipal and

Gravel mining companies have been fighting to shift authority for issuing permits to Michigan's environmental agency, taking it out of the hands of local residents and their elected township boards.