Bill would let shoreline owners keep 2020 sandbags on Great Lakes; environmental groups oppose

The House Committee on Natural Resources on Thursday heard testimony on House Bill 4835, sponsored by Representative Andrews, which would allow shoreline property owners along the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair to retain so-called "soft erosion control" sandbags placed during the 2020 high-water event without first obtaining a temporary permit from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Supporters, led by Representative Andrews, said the measure would reduce costs and environmental harm associated with repeated emergency armoring and with excavation to remove buried bags. Andrews told the committee that homeowners had quoted costs of about $1,520,000 to install the sandbags originally and that removal is expensive and disruptive. "Waiting on a permit can be the difference between whether you lose your house or not," Andrews said during testimony.

Under the bill as explained at the hearing, soft erosion-control structures would be allowed only on the shorelines of the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair (not inland lakes); must be constructed of biodegradable materials or specified soft permeable textiles…