MUCC Policy Report for September 21, 2007

This edition:

• What’s been going on in Lansing: So close, yet so far away
• MI ranks top in U.S. in hunting, angling, but overall growth is slow
• Special hunting season for disabled veterans moves through House and Senate
• Interested in renewable energy? The debates heat up.

So close and yet so far away!

By way of background: The Michigan legislature is struggling with finding a way to plug a $1.8 billion hole in Michigan’s budget. This hole must be plugged by October 1, 2007 or there is likely to be a shutdown of state government. There are many alternatives currently being discussed, but the one that is receiving the most attention is to increase the state’s income tax coupled with a number of fiscal reforms, for example, not allowing state department directors to have a car. The Michigan House of Representatives attempted on Wednesday night/Thursday morning to pass a 0.7 percent increase in the state’s income tax coupled with approximately eight fiscal reforms. As part of that proposal, .025 percent of the proposed income tax increase was “earmarked” for the fish and game fund, offsetting the need for hunting and fishing license fee increases. This was one of two special earmarks in the bill (the other being for rural schools) which shows the clout of the hunting and fishing community. The current attempt failed, but discussions are still underway.

The unfortunate consequences of an opportunity like this is that it makes it much more difficult to pass a hunting and fishing license fee package in the near future because the legislature will have used up their will to pass fees or tax increases. The Michigan Game and Fish Protection fund will face an $8 million deficit on October 1, 2007 that will have to be addressed by program and staff cuts if we are unsuccessful. Let’s not lose hope though, Michigan’s natural resources are important and if we all continue to work together we will find a solution.

MUCC is continuing to work to save the earmark and we appreciate all of your help in this endeavor. If we are not successful, and please understand this is a very big political hill to climb, we will fight equally hard to save the Game and Fish fund. We will continue to keep you informed as this effort progresses and will be requesting your action at critical times. The budget issues are moving very quickly and we apologize in advance for requesting assistance with very short turnarounds. Your involvement makes a significant difference and could mean the difference between securing long-term funding for conservation or significant cuts to the programs that we all support.

MI ranks top in U.S. in hunting, angling, but overall growth is slow

Michigan also has the highest percentage of sportspersons (hunters and anglers) and wildlife watchers among the top ten most populous states; in 2006, 47 percent of residents participated in some form of wildlife-associated recreation and spent more than 43 million days devoted to these pastimes in Michigan alone.

In terms of their economic impact, the participants in fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching directly poured in $4 billion to Michigan businesses for trip-related expenses and equipment. This has nearly doubled since 2001! As a comparison, that is nearly 10 percent of the entire State of Michigan's operating budget!

While these numbers do look promising, it is important to note that Michigan is not seeing the same growth in participation compared to other states. The number of Michigan residents that participate in wildlife watching has increased 22 percent since 2001, while resident sportspersons have increased by only 4 percent.

It is critical that we all think about hunter, angler, and trapper recruitment and retention. Mr. Chuck Nelson, head of the hunter recruitment and retention task force said if we all bring in 1 new person to our favorite sport we will have increased our numbers by well over a million. Let’s think about the impact that could as we head into the fall!

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has been conducted about every five years since 1955, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It provides information on the number of participants in fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching (observing, photographing, and feeding wildlife), and the amount of time and money spent on these activities.

Special hunting season for disabled veterans moves through House and Senate

Interested in renewable energy? The debate heats up.

There are currently three different models being debated as a possible RPS. The first, introduced in the House by Representative Howard Walker (HB 4319) and in the Senate by Senator Roger Kahn (SB 219), calls for a renewable portfolio standard of 7 percent by the year 2015. The second model, introduced by Representative Frank Accavitti (HB 4562) and Senator Patricia Birkholz (SB 213) mandate a RPS of 10 percent by 2015. Finally, Representative Robert Jones (HB 4539) and Senator Jim Barcia (SB 385) wish to enact a mandate of 20 percent by 2020.

While these proposed mandates range from a relatively low 7 percent to a relatively high 20 percent, all fall within the range established by other states. Likewise, Michigan falls somewhere in the middle range of states as far as potential is concerned, with healthy, but not stellar, wind capabilities. Wind energy is seen as the most promising form of renewable energy. Michigan’s House and Senate will be taking a more in-depth look at these bills within the next few months.