Looks like the governor of Michigan has some splainin to do! The feds pulled the license on the now failed dam in 2018. The owners wanted to lower lake levels to comply, but the state wouldn’t let them. The owner filed suit in April citing safety concerns. Of course the state environmental agency wouldn’t give them permission to lower lake levels for fear of wrecking the clam habitat.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed the state will “pursue every line of legal recourse” against those responsible for the calamity.
Well, it was a very good article, thanks for posting. There’s a lot more to it than what is in the OP, but admittedly it’s a complex issue. Most issues stemmed from the owner refusing to spend the money for maintenance and safety upgrades. It was in the process of the owners selling the dams to a group that hoped to spend the money for the improvements. That’s probably not going to happen now.
And yes, the clams. But don’t forget, there were also homeowners on the lake that also did not want the water levels lowered.
In April, Boyce and the state sued each other in state and federal court over the company’s attempts to lower Wixom Lake, an impoundment reservoir that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) says is home to endangered freshwater mussels that were killed by drawdowns in 2018 and 2019.
It would appear that prior to the breach, each put their position in writing and is in the courts already. This shouldn’t be too difficult knowing what force is at fault for this predictable disaster?
Its pretty simple. Did the State prevent the dam owners from lowering the water level prior to the breaches or not? If yes, then criticism of Whitmer and her administration is valid.
