In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week the state Department of Environmental Quality gave formal notice of the plan to end the wetland regulation program that established the state as a leader in environmental policy.
 
In 1979, with bipartisan support, Michigan enacted stringent wetland regulations and took over from the federal government responsibility for issuing permits for development that impacts wetlands. Governor Jennifer Granholm now supports ending the program as a cost saving measure and some Republican lawmakers say the wetland program is an obstacle to economic development.

Federal law requires the state to give 180 days notice of intent to end the program and to develop a transition plan.

Lawmakers and citizens have expressed concerns that the Army Corps of Engineers — which would be responsible for issuing wetland permits if the state gives up the program — will not have the resources to run the program. According to DEQ estimates 900,000 acres of Michigan wetlands would lose regulatory oversight if the program is transferred to the federal government.

“This move by Michigan promises to be a major headache that will eat into whatever small savings the state hoped to achieve,” Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Executive director Jeff Ruch said in a statement.