Tomorrow the House
Agriculture Committee (at 2:00 pm or after House session, in Room 426 of the
Anderson House Office Building) will be taking up a package of bills intended
to establish in statute the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance
Program (MAEAP), and to provide incentives for producers to become MAEAP
certified as a means of facilitating land and water resource stewardship.
This package, House Bills
5711 5716, have attracted interest because they include CAFOs or
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and the issue of agricultural
storm water discharges, as well as provisions regarding nuisance or
anonymous complaints to the department.
For a link to the most
up-to-date legislative analysis of the package, go to:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billanalysis/House/htm/2005-HLA-5711-1.htm
The diverse interest
groups involved were at one time thought to have arrived at some agreement on
parts of the package.
At this point we
dont know if amendments or substitute bills reflecting these or other
discussions will be offered tomorrow.
Stay Tuned!
Vicki Morrone
Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach
Specialist
C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems
303 Natural Resources Bldg.
517-353-3542
517-282-3557 (cell)
517-353-3834 (fax)
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