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November 10, 2009
On behalf of MUCC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 10, 2009

Senate panel votes to restore NRC's appointment authority

LANSING, MICH - The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 23 (McManus, R-Lake Leelanau), which formally rejects Executive Order 45 of 2009, Governor Granholm's executive maneuver to combine the Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality. The vote came two weeks after a Joint Senate Natural Resources and DNR Appropriations Committee received testimony from a diverse collection of sportsmen, conservation, recreation, and agriculture interests frustrated with the Executive Order's surprise provisions to strip the bi-partisan Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources Commission's authority to appoint Department Directors. Last week, a coalition of over 90 sporting and conservation groups sent a letter to the governor, asking her to reconsider turning the NRC's current appointment authority into a political appointment by the governor.
MUCC applauded the passage of SCR 23 as a critical first step in restoring the bi-partisan NRC's authority, a move the organization says is necessary to maintain transparency and reject political influence on natural resource management decisions. "The members of the Senate Appropriations Committee today recognized what we all learned by Proposal G: Michigan citizens do not want our natural resources to be dictated by politics," said MUCC Executive Director Erin McDonough. "The passage of this resolution is an important first step, but we need to build upon this vote and the current bi-partisan momentum in the House to achieve the same result." A similar resolution to reject E.O. 45 of 2009 (HCR 32) has been introduced in the House by Rep. Jeff Mayes (D-Bay City) and thirty-six co-sponsors.

The Michigan House and Senate must pass formally reject Executive Order 45 by December 7, 2009 in order to prevent it from taking effect.

Contact:
Erin McDonough - (517) 775-9500
Dave Nyberg - (517) 230-1738

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