Rep. DaMoose and I spoke Thursday morning. He said the legislation that we supported in committee (House Bill 6067) that would dedicate the money made from carbon credits to the Forest Development Fund was supposed to be up on the floor of the House of Representatives this week but it got pulled because he voiced strong opposition to it in the caucus meeting. He thinks he may have killed it but we’ll see.
His position remains similar to that of ours. He opposes the carbon credits but IF we aren’t able to stop them he would like the money to go to the FDF. For the time being, he’s going to continue to fight all carbon credit sales.
The bills (5662 & 5663) to match Michigan’s CDL requirements with the new federal guidelines remain stalled on the Senate floor. There seems to be some concerns with what’s deemed new regulations. I think ultimately this will get done before the end of the year.
The legislation (House Bill 4535) to prohibit “wheeled vehicles” on snowmobile trails from Jan 1 to April 1 also remains stalled. If you recall, MAT is on record as opposing them. The bills are in Senator McBroom’s Natural Resources Committee and I’ve been assured a few times that if these move there will be an exemption for forestry. I know the supporters are continuing to try to move it. I saw the Snowmobile Association lobbyist with McBroom’s staff on Tuesday. The DNR has been helpful to us on this one. The staffer I spoke to said they few them as not only bad for forestry but also for the county road commissions.
The Legislature is scheduled to be here the next two weeks before breaking for the summer but I’m hearing now it could be three more or longer. They want to get the budget done before leaving but negotiations are not going well.
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