Ban lake drilling, Stabenow urges

Senator unveils plan for federal protection of the Great Lakes

George Weeks / The Detroit News 1jun01

[ "Senate approves lakes drilling" AP article below]

   MACKINAC ISLAND -- U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, was expected to call today for federal moratoriums on drilling for oil and gas under the Great Lakes and on the sale or diversion of water from the lakes.
   She told The Detroit News she would announce plans to introduce bipartisan legislation next week -- with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, and others -- for a Great Lakes Initiative that also would include increased funding for Great Lakes research and historical preservation.
   "We need a comprehensive approach to Great Lakes problems involving the federal government and the states," Stabenow said. "It really is not either or."
   Her proposals were applauded by Democratic gubernatorial candidates, who are here for the 21st annual leadership conference of the Detroit Regional Chamber.
   "Hooray," said Democratic Atty. Gen. Jennifer Granholm, one of those seeking the 2002 gubernatorial nomination. "If we can't get it done at the state level, Congress should do it."
   But Susan Shafer, press secretary to Republican Gov. John Engler, said he opposes "having the federal camel get its nose under the Great Lakes tent."
   His lieutenant governor, Dick Posthumus, who is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination next year, voiced a similar view, reasoning: "If the federal government has the power to create a moratorium, it has the power to take it away."
   But former Gov. James J. Blanchard, another Democratic contender, said federal involvement is crucial because the lakes are international waters.
   U.S. House Minority Whip David Bonior of Mt. Clemens, also seeking the nomination for governor, was not at the conference. But he said he welcomed Stabenow's legislation because "oil and water don't mix."
   Stabenow was to outline details at a press conference a few hours before Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, whom Stabenow defeated last year, was to address the conference.
   Highlights of the package are:
   * A two-year moratorium on new oil and gas drilling, including slant or directional drilling from shore-based rigs. Stabenow wants Congress to order studies by the National Academy of Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency on whether such drilling poses threats.
   U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, has demanded an outright ban on Great Lakes drilling.
   Engler imposed a moratorium after his Environmental Science Review Board said drilling could be safely done if certain safeguards were implemented. State agencies contend safeguards are in place, and they are considering new permits.
   The GOP-ruled state Senate voted Thursday to lift the moratorium. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, one of the gubernatorial contenders, led an unsuccessful effort to block the action. He was supported by Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem, a fifth Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
   * A moratorium on the sale or diversion of Great Lakes water until Congress approves a regulatory plan being developed by Great Lakes governors and Canadian provincial premiers.
   This issue was hotly debated during last year's election campaigns, with Republicans insisting that governors have veto power and Democrats calling for federal involvement.
   * Legislation to regulate ballast-water discharges from ocean-going ships in the Great Lakes. Such discharges have introduced zebra mussels and other species that are causing problems.
   Stabenow said her legislation mirrors a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland, on ballast discharges.
   * Increased federal funding for Great Lakes research, including boosting annual spending from $25 million to $100 million for how best to control invasive species.

Senate approves lakes drilling

Malcolm Johnson / AP 1jun01

Lansing, MI -- Energy companies could drill for oil and natural gas under Michigan's portion of the Great Lakes under bitterly contested legislation approved Thursday by the Republican-controlled state Senate.

Such drilling would have to be "directional," or on a slant from a drilling base on land at least 1,500 feet from the shore. Republicans, who sponsored the bills, said they would impose numerous safeguards to protect the Great Lakes and other sensitive areas from pollution.

"These are tough and stringent requirements," said Sen. Bill Schuette, R-Midland, sponsor of the legislation. "What it says is hands off the shorelines of the Great Lakes."

But minority Democrats argued the measure was a sellout to oil companies and said it poses the threat of Great Lakes pollution. They called for continuing the current moratorium on leasing Great Lakes lands for oil and gas exploration.

"It is a sad day in the state Senate," said state Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, the leader of Senate efforts to continue the moratorium on drilling. "Some oil companies are going to make a lot of money off this."

The head of the Michigan Oil and Gas Association said such drilling would provide badly needed energy and that there is no threat to the environment from such production.

"It's good news for everybody," said Frank Mortl, president of the association.

The drilling amendment was attached to two budget bills which provide funding for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

The bills, which now return to the state House, would provide $417 million for the state Department of Environmental Quality and $260 million for the Department of Natural Resources.

The two bills passed on party-line votes of 20-13. All those in favor were Republicans, and all those opposed were Democrats. Two members from each party were absent.

The Senate action comes as a special DNR task force reviews Michigan rules for leasing land for oil and gas exploration. The state Natural Resources Commission is expected to take up the issue of Great Lakes directional drilling this summer.

The legislation passed Thursday, in addition to the 1,500-foot "setback" for development, would prohibit oil wells in flood-risk areas, sensitive environmental areas and critical sand dunes; would require environmental impact assessments to obtain a drilling permit; and would allow new leases only where pipelines and roads already exist.

"This is basically safe; there is no risk," Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Wednesday as the Senate opened debate on the issue. "The Great Lakes are safe with this."

Sen. Ken Sikkema, R-Grandville, blasted the "deception and deceit" of Democrats who opposed the amendment.