BY RICK PLUTA
Michigan Public Radio Network
Governor Rick Snyder said he's pleased with an official opinion from state Attorney General Bill Schuette. It said the state constitution does not allow the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to pay for dredging and other types of maintenance on public harbors.
The governor said that affirms his position.
"As we look at, let's look out to the future, I would not use the trust fund at all. That is not a place that I would look to for resources for this." Snyder said.
The governor and the attorney general say the Natural Resources Trust can only be used to acquire and improve property for the public's use. The governor and the Legislature reached a compromise earlier on an emergency dredging bill that taps into the Waterways Trust Fund and the state's General Fund. That's for dredging this spring to clear harbors suffering from record low water levels. That could affect Great Lakes shipping and recreational boating.
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