Bill Text: MI SR0030 | 2011-2012 | 96th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to call on the state and federal government to work cooperatively to fund the restoration of the breakwall at the Grand Marais Harbor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-01 - Referred To Committee On Natural Resources, Environment And Great Lakes [SR0030 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2011-SR0030-Introduced.html
Senator Casperson offered the following resolution:
Senate Resolution No. 30.
A resolution to call on the state and federal government to work cooperatively to fund the restoration of the breakwall at the Grand Marais Harbor.
Whereas, For hundreds of years, Grand Marais Harbor has provided refuge to ships and boats from sudden and violent storms along Lake Superior's southern coast. Adjacent to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, it is the only harbor of refuge available to vessels along a notoriously dangerous 90-mile stretch of coastline that has claimed numerous ships in the past; and
Whereas, Historically, the harbor was protected by a breakwall. First constructed in 1894 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the breakwall blocked sand from filling in the harbor and protected it from damaging waves. Abandoned by the Army Corps in 1943, the breakwall suffered severe damage and deterioration over the years, and the protection it provided the harbor and boaters was lost; and
Whereas, It is imperative to build a new breakwall for Grand Marais Harbor to preserve the harbor for commerce, recreational boaters, wildlife, and the community. Damaging waves now enter the harbor, and sand is filling it in. The harbor could be inaccessible as early as 2012, hurting the local economy and increasing the risk of tragedy on this beautiful but dangerous stretch of coastline. In addition, habitat that supports sportfish and federally-endangered species like the piping plover is being lost at a rapid pace; and
Whereas, The small Grand Marais community continues to demonstrate that no other community in our nation is more dedicated to a single cause. Recently, Grand Marais was awarded $40,000 in a Reader's Digest contest to help build the breakwall. Grand Marais succeeded in having more votes cast than 9,000 other communities nationwide in a contest to aid civic causes. In only a few months, Grand Marais, with a population of 300 people, generated 1,281,724 votes in support of saving Grand Marais Harbor. This impressive unified community effort will be wasted if Grand Marais cannot secure the $7 million needed for actual restoration; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we call on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Natural Resources Trust Fund Board, the Michigan Waterways Commission, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work swiftly and cooperatively to collectively fund the restoration of the breakwall at Grand Marais Harbor; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the members of the Michigan congressional delegation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Office of the Governor, the director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Natural Resources Trust Fund Board, the Michigan Waterways Commission, and Burt Township, Grand Marais, Michigan.
