Senators Stamas, Birkholz, George, Allen, Gilbert, Toy, Van Woerkom, Patterson, McManus, Cassis, Garcia, Cropsey and Hardiman offered the following concurrent resolution:
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 28.
A concurrent resolution to urge the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Natural Resources, the United States Forest Service, and the United States Bureau of Land Management to exercise extra diligence in considering the proposal to drill for oil and gas beneath the Mason Tract in Crawford County.
Whereas, The recent announcement of plans to drill for oil and gas beneath the Mason Tract near the AuSable River in Crawford County has generated widespread concern. The plans call for directional drilling in the Huron Manistee National Forest to seek minerals beneath the parcel of land donated to the state under the condition that it remain safe from development; and
Whereas, The large number of people who consider the Mason Tract to be a pristine area that should be preserved from the equipment, roads, and activities inevitable with drilling are worried about the possible negative impact on one of the last remaining near-wilderness areas left in the Lower Peninsula. Outdoor sports groups feel the activities involved with drilling could be harmful to one of Michigan's most cherished fishing areas; and
Whereas, The characteristics of the Huron Manistee National Forest and the Mason Tract are such that extra caution and time should be taken at each step of the permit review process; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That we urge the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Natural Resources, the United States Forest Service, and the United States Bureau of Land Management to exercise extra diligence and explore all options in considering the proposal to drill for oil and gas beneath the Mason Tract in Crawford County in order to minimize the environmental impact on the area; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Natural Resources, the United States Forest Service, and the United States Bureau of Land Management.
R 0276 '03*