COMMENT OF THE WEEK “Taking away so much money from our schools while giving tax breaks to businesses is not going to help our schools, or the future of this state.” - “Dawn” commenting on a petition drive to recall Gov. Rick Snyder at a Macomb Township park.
August 10, 2011
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Coast Guard and state action could provide ballast water relief
Jeff Payne Editor Our federal government has become notorious of late for its inability to do its job. While this may not be news to anyone, a confluence of action by the Coast Guard and federal courts could mean good news for those who care about the health of the Great Lakes even as Congress and the White House refuse to do their job. The issue of ballast water — what it contains and how it is discharged — has been a decadeslong debate in the shipping industry. Ballast water is sucked up by freighters in other parts of the world and, until not too long ago, discharged at will. From this discharge often comes invasive species. Sometimes they pose no threat to our waterways. But in other instances, such as what has been seen for the past three decades with the zebra mussel, these creatures can have a devastating impact on our water’s ecosystem. You don’t have to own a boat or have a job that
Offended by official’s comment In a synopsis of the city of St. Clair’s council meeting, Councilmember Jane Krebs voted against awarding the St. Clair Highway project to Pamar Enterprises while referencing Pamar’s performance on a previous project as “a shoddy job.” As a Pamar employee, I take Ms. Krebs’ quote as a personal attack of my work ethic and integrity. I have had the privilege of working with multiple crews at Pamar, none of which have ever completed a project of inferior quality. Any concerns of a customer are addressed immediately to ensure absolute satisfaction upon
Community support made MC events possible The Marine City Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee would like to thank all who helped us in our recent tourism “outreach” programs. In June, we welcomed the “Back to the Bricks” car cruisers to Marine City for a “pit stop” on their cross-Michigan tour. Volunteers were James
directly relies on the health of the lakes for this to impact you. Do you drink water or take a shower? Then the impact of zebra mussels has probably impacted you at some point. In 1989, the city of Monroe saw its water system shut down for three days as a result of the creature just one year after it was introduced to Lake St. Clair by a Russian vessel. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the economic impact of zebra mussels at billions per decade. Today, zebra mussels have not only spread around the Great Lakes but to several inland bodies of water as well. They can number up to one million per square meter, attaching to boat hulls and clogging water intake pipes along the way. Stopping the next zebra mussel is of critical importance for the health of our waterways. Michigan, along with several other Great Lakes states, has tired of waiting for action from the federal government and has instead enacted tougher prevention measures for the discharge of ballast water. That has led the feds to take these states to court and, to date, it appears the courts are with the states on the matter. The United States Court of Appeals last month ruled Michigan and other states have the right to exceed
federal standards related to the discharge of ballast water. That decision, combined with a new set of rules about to be enacted by the U.S. Coast Guard, has the potential to create meaningful reform that will force the international shipping industry to take the health of our deep blue treasure more seriously while doing so in a manner that will not create a hardship on their operations. As reported in The Voice last month, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller testified at a July 7 ballast water hearing held jointly by the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, on which she sits, and the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation regarding the new rule, “Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters.” The end result will likely be the adoption of new standards governing the cleaning of ballast water in ocean-going freighters, which should help prevent the release of nonnative species into the Great Lakes. According to Miller, a Harrison Township boater herself who has kept close tabs on the issue since being elected to Congress, it is critical that uniformity be developed to prevent the dozens of invasive species that are estimated to be dumped in our
waters every month. Absent wide-ranging action initiated by Congress or the White House, which is not likely, the new Coast Guard regulation, combined with individual state mandates, may be the best we can hope for. Locally, while the large ocean-going freighters are not the biggest offenders, it is typically the small ships known as salties,
which bring cargo into the Great Lakes while operating from the Hudson River basin, that cause the most difficulty. The downside of this patchwork of state legislation and Coast Guard action, many believe, is that the shipping industry could just divert their cargo from our ports. The aforementioned inaction by the federal government, as we have just seen
on the much more serious debt ceiling issue, could be resolved by real leadership on the issue. While Miller has been an advocate for just this, it doesn’t appear her work will be adopted by her peers on Capital Hill. Apparently, the inability to reach a consensus for the betterment of all is not just a budgetary phenomenon in our nation’s capital.
project completion. On numerous occasions I have gone above and beyond my job duties, as well as contract requirements to fulfill the expectations of a customer or a citizen affected by the construction process. These are not the qualities of an employee who performs a “shoddy job.” Furthermore, such qualities are exhibited by all Pamar employees and commended by management. In conclusion, I look forward to not only working in my hometown, but in Councilmember Krebs’ ward. I would like to extend an invitation to Ms. Krebs to introduce herself and defend the basis of her quote to myself and fellow coworkers of Pamar Enterprises.
Could someone please explain the purpose/benefit of the new gate at the Walpole ferry stop on Algonac’s boardwalk? I was at the Algonac City Council meeting a couple of years back when a government official discussed the need for this fence/gate. The city argued we didn’t need this, that they could not recall a problem with cars fleeing the border patrol. Government stated we were getting it anyway. Why? Who is it helping? I’ve tried to see where the benefit is, and I can’t find it. I find it a rude inconvenience to the people of the community and a waste of taxpayers’ money. Pedestrians now have to walk around the building, going down a steep curb and cutting across the car-filled, pot holed, bumpy parking lot. There is no way the disabled or a mother with a stroller is going to be able to step down that “huge” curb, not to mention trying to
get your bicycle down and cross that pavement smoothly. The gate blocks pedestrians from walking down the boardwalk right in front of the old Russell Island ferry spot, which has no fence. It is open for anyone to fall over. The Walpole ferry pulls right up to the boardwalk with a ramp that connects to it, allowing no space between for anyone to fall into the water there. If that gate is intended to keep a car from “escaping” the border patrol/ferry, as stated at that council meeting long ago, then that too has failed. The gate is wide open for the cars coming off of the ferry. Therefore, if a car wanted to speed on thru, they could and would just run the pedestrians over on the crosswalk in front of them. If it is so that the border patrol may work more efficiently, that fails too. Only one car at a time can be under the roof at the border patrol building. All others must
wait on the ferry, as it has been for years. The only benefit I’ve seen thus far is that the cars getting onto the ferry can get on quickly and smoothly, as they’ve always been able to do. I have lived in Algonac for 13 years now and have walked that boardwalk year round for just as long. There has never been an issue with the pedestrians and Walpole ferry that I have seen. Could someone please explain why we need this gate?
dren magically start learning when they enter kindergarten. These days we know better. Research confirms learning begins at birth and children who get off to a great start tend to do better in school and life. The key now, of course, is to let the new Office of Great Start mature and grow, which will require continuing support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The pay-off will be substantial. Michigan is on the cusp of developing a nationally-recognized early childhood system that will do more than anything else to increase the number of highly skilled workers in Michigan that business leaders say is crucial for success in the global economy.
JASON SHAFER (Pamar Enterprises) St. Clair
What’s the purpose of the gate?
LaLonde of SteinmetzVandenbossche Agency, Scott Anderson of Anderson Consulting, and Georgia Phelan of Thompson-Phelan Group. Goodie bag items were donated by Kern Chiropractic, Vera Grace Emporium, Anita’s Riverside Grill, Back Porch Antiques, Pride & Heritage Museum, Muffler Doctor, Talmer Bank, Marine City Music Festival, The Sweet Tooth, Verellen Farms, Captain Lester House, Steinmetz-Vandenbossche Agency, and VG’s Food Centers. In July, our Marine City Music Festival booth was hosted by Georgia Phelan, Thompson-Phelan Group; Chris and Katie Phelan, Talmer Bank; Chris Kadey, KD Bookkeeping; Elizabeth Steiner, Marine City Chamber of Commerce; and Scott Anderson, Anderson Consulting. These outreach pro-
grams, along with other efforts such as participation in the regional “Discover the Blue” initiative, are very instrumental in our ongoing efforts to promote Marine City as a day trip tourism destination. We have been seeing success in these efforts and will continue to pursue this support of our Marine City business community. GEORGIA PHELAN, Chair Marketing Committee Marine City Chamber of Commerce
Marathon helps Blue Water Choices We would like to thank Marathon Petroleum Company LLC for their support and sponsorship of our program at Blue Water Choices in Marine City. Blue Water Choices is a community inclusion program for adults with
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developmental disabilities; and 100 percent of the funds donated are used to purchase adaptive equipment, learning activities, and community experiences. Thanks again for your support. STARR CARUTHERS and FRIENDS at BLUE WATER CHOICES Marine City
Charity golf outing made possible through sponsors The Lions of St. Clair thank the following sponsors for their support of our 19th annual Bud Friederichs Memorial Charity Night Golf Outing at the Pine Shores Golf Course in St. Clair. The Lions direct all proceeds raised by this project to local projects including the scholarship program
DONNA RUSSELL Algonac
Early childhood learning critical As a member of the St. Clair County Collaborative, I was thrilled to see Gov. Rick Snyder create an Office of Great Start within state government: What a gift for Michigan’s children and ultimately for the state’s economy. The old way of thinking says chil-
for high school seniors. For over 40 years, graduating seniors from St. Clair High have used these scholarships to pursue higher education. Thank you to: Pine Shores Golf Course; Jim Friederichs; St. Clair Eye; A1 Computers; Seaway Community Bank; Anderson Eckstein and Westrick Inc.; Clark Russell Electric; Dr. Robert Reisig DDS PC; International Chemical Workers Union Local 867C; Bruce Campbell; Wright Services Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning; Silk’s Flower Shop; Neiman’s Market; Young’s Colonial Chapel Funeral Home; Saint Clair McDonald’s; LaCroix’s Riverside Pub; St. Clair Jeep, Dodge, RAM; and St. Clair Chevrolet, Buick and GMC. TIM BURNS Event Chairman St. Clair
BRIGITTE HARWOOD Marysville
TM
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