Committee hears testimony on bill to allow shoreline sandbags after 2020 high water; environmental groups oppose over microplastics and public‑trust concerns

Representative Andrews told the House Committee on Natural Resource Insurance that House Bill 48‑35 would let shoreline property owners on the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair leave “soft erosion control structures” (sandbags) in place without a temporary EGLE permit if the structures meet conditions intended to reduce environmental harm.

Andrews, the bill sponsor, described the 2020 high‑water event as the impetus: “the high water levels that we had in 2020.” He said many homeowners placed large sandbags to hold dunes during that crisis and that removing buried sandbags can be more disruptive and costly than leaving them in place. Andrews told the committee the bill would limit the exemption to Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair shorelines, require materials that are biodegradable or meet specified material limits (for example, the draft allows certain soft permeable synthetic textile materials that “contain no more than 4% carbon black and do not contain BPA”), require installation consistent with manufacturer instructions, and require property owners to notify the Department of Environment,…