Joe Hemming News Today

The agency rejected a lease with the Michigan National Guard, but said it signed a memorandum of understanding to allow land use permits for the Guard to conduct training exercises on up to 52,000 acres.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has rejected a proposal to double the footprint of the Camp Grayling military training base, instead making 52,000 acres available for potential short-term military use.

New agreement with National Guard limits military use to 52,000 acres for “low-impact training.”

In a harshly-worded letter, a supervisor in the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy wrote that DNR should reject the Camp Grayling expansion unless the National Guard gets serious about cleaning up PFAS at the base.

The proposal would allow big increases in military aircraft presence over some areas, including training maneuvers as low as 300-500 feet above the ground, drawing the ire of homeowners and environmental groups.