Funding would help bring back lakes, minimize costs on local residents

State Representative Bill G. Schuette is continuing to push for vital infrastructure funding needed for Midland and Gladwin counties – helping the area continue its rebuild following the devastating 2020 flood that impacted numerous families and business owners.

“It is vitally important to the future of Midland and Gladwin counties that we rebuild these dams and bring back our lakes,” Schuette said. “As long as I am in Lansing, I will fight for state funding so that the cost of restoring a regional treasure that is enjoyed by many throughout our state does not fall disproportionately on property owners who were devastated by a major disaster in 2020.”

Schuette on Tuesday, April 23, proposed an amendment to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) budget to appropriate $50 million into the Four Lakes Task Force for dam reconstruction. Schuette’s amendment was not adopted in the budget plan advanced by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

“Proposed budgets for the next fiscal year are approaching $80 billion. The money is there, but it is a matter of priorities,” Schuette said. “It is frustrating to see state money wasted by the MEDC on $4,500 coffee makers and first-class ticket flights, while Michigan Democrats refuse to prioritize the safety of families and communities. I am disappointed in the committee’s short-sighted actions, avoiding funding for critical infrastructure – which has supposedly been a pillar of the governor’s agenda.”

The Four Lakes water system is being restored after catastrophic structural dam failures led to Sandford Lake and Wixom Lakes disappearing in May 2020. The ensuing floods from the failed dams caused roughly $175 million in damages to over 2,000 structures in Midland County.