MI Septic Summer 2024 Newsletter

Summer 2024

From the President

Rick Throop MSTA President

It seems we have now reached the point where temperatures are rising in Michigan. With that said, this is the time of year when we all get busy and sometimes even a little overwhelmed with our workload, employee issues and all the other things that come with being a business owner. Inevitable, unhappy customers or equipment breakdowns are always something that is on our minds. All those things considered, however, being self-employed and being our own boss is something that I wouldn’t trade away.

MSTA had a spring meeting back in April and a big thanks goes out to Michigan Septic in Mason, Matt Gustafson and Casey Fiedler. Approximately 50 people were in attendance who listened to a wonderful presentation from Corinne Rockoff from Maddin, Hauser, Roth, and Heller. Corinne did a wonderful job explaining contracts, the important things to have in a contract and ways to make sure that you get paid for the work you do at the end of the day. Corinne has also offered to do a presentation at our Annual Conference in February at the Soaring Eagle Resort in Mount Pleasant. Todd Park from Michigan Saves and Anne Mitchell from EGLE were also presenters at the Spring Meeting and did a presentation about the future of the Septic Tank Replacement Loan Program and where it is headed for our industry. I would like to personally thank all our speakers for making the trip on a Saturday to help educate members.

Our fall meeting will once again be held at National Vacuum Equipment in Traverse City on Saturday October 12th. As most of you know, National Vacuum Equipment always provides us with a wonderful facility and an amazing lunch and the beauty of northern Michigan in the fall is always wonderful to see. I hope many of you can attend this meeting and I look forward to seeing you.

MSTA will again be having our Annual Conference at Soaring Eagle Resort in Mount Pleasant. The dates for this conference are Tuesday, February 11 through Thursday, February 13, 2025. There is not yet an agenda or speakers lined up for this so if any of you have any ideas, thoughts, or people that you

would like to hear from in our industry, we are always open to suggestions. Any vendors that you may use that you have not seen at our conference in the past that you think might be interested in setting up a booth are also greatly appreciated. Any and all input, vendor suggestions or speaker suggestions for the conference can be sent to Karlyn Wickham, MSTA Executive Officer, at any point and obviously the sooner the better to try and coordinate a schedule.

Lastly, I wish all of you a safe, profitable, and successful summer that I’m sure will go way too fast as, in my humble opinion, they usually do.

Thank You,

Rick Throop MSTA President

Mark Your Calendar

4th MSTA Annual Conference

February 11-13, 2025

Soaring Eagle Resort – Mt. Pleasant, MI

Registration coming soon for attendees and vendors.

Go to www.msta.biz for more information

How To Find Your State Representative And State Senator

Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 that created a Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) and vested it with the authority to adopt new district boundaries based on census data for the Michigan Senate, Michigan House of Representatives, and U.S. House of Representatives every 10 years beginning in 2021. Using the 2020 Federal Census data, the MICRC redrafted the boundaries of Michigan’s state house and senate districts. As a result, there have been significant changes in the district number you live in and who is your state representative and senator following the November 2022 election.

The Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate websites have search engines where you can input your street address, city and zip code to find your state elected official.

To Find Your State Representative Go To:

https://www.house.mi.gov/#findarepresentative

To Find Your State Senator Go To: https://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator

Maps of all Michigan House and Senate Districts can be found the MICRC website: https://www.michigan.gov/micrc

Septic Replacement Loan Program: an Opportunity to Expand your Business and Help

Michigan Homeowners

In Michigan, more than 1.3 million septic systems treat millions of gallons of sewage every day. A recent report by Public Sector Consultants estimated that between 130,000 and 325,000 of these systems are failing to adequately process wastewater, threatening not only drinking water sources and nearby rivers and streams but also public health and safety. A major barrier to replacing septic systems is affordability. With replacement system costs ranging from $7,000 to upwards of $40,000 in some cases, most Michigan homeowners cannot handle the financial burden associated with replacing their failing septic system.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Onsite Wastewater Management Unit recognized the gap between the need for septic system replacements statewide and the lack of available funding options for homeowners and began working to bring a solution to Michigan through a 35-million-dollar appropriation from the Michigan Legislature and the development of The Septic Replacement Loan Program (SRLP).

The SRLP is a statewide, low interest loan program for the replacement of failing and near failing septic systems. EGLE has contracted with nonprofit green bank, Michigan Saves, to design, and manage the program. The SRLP is divided into two tiers, with both income-based financing (Tier 1) and a market-based loan (Tier 2). Systems supported by the SRLP must be evaluated, designed, and installed in accordance with EGLE’s Program Minimum Standards, and must be installed by a Michigan Saves Authorized Contractor. Eligible project costs include system evaluation, design and permitting, septic tank pumping and system evaluation. Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 loans are now available to Michigan homeowners and can be applied for online at https://michigansaves. org/septic/.

Becoming an Authorized Contractor is free, simple, and expands your ability to offer homeowners that you’re working with, a flexible financing option.

Requirements to become a Michigan Saves Authorized Septic Installer:

• Registered and in good standing with the State of Michigan Corporations Division

• Maintain minimum levels of insurance as outlined by Michigan Saves.

• Where applicable, registered/certified by Local Health Departments

• No history of disciplinary actions by Local Health Departments

• Attendance at required training(s)

• Read and agree to terms and conditions outlined within the Michigan Saves, Contractor Agreement and Implementation Guide

For more information, visit: Septic Replacement Loan Program: Authorized Septic Installation Contractor Information (michigansaves.org)

For questions, contact:

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Anne Mitchell, Program Manager 517-914-4254

EGLE-DWEHD-SRLP@Michigan.gov

Michigan Saves

Pat O’Boyle, Director of Business Development 517-410-5924

POBoyle@MichiganSaves.org

your customers to

simple septic financing

Septic Replacement Loan Program

The Septic Replacement Loan Program , created in partnership with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and Michigan Saves, provides low-interest financing to Michigan homeowners for the replacement of failing or nearfailing septic systems.

Becoming a Michigan Saves authorized septic installation contractor is free and simple. Give your customers accessible, tailored financing to replace their septic systems and invest in the sustained comfort of their homes.

2024 MSTA Fall Meeting

Saturday, October 12

National Vacuum Equipment, Traverse City, MI

Online registration coming in late summer

2025 MSTA Annual Conference

2025 MSTA Spring Meeting

Saturday, April 12

Serv-All Services are hosting Carleton, MI

More information coming in 2025

Tuesday, February 11 – Thursday, February 13

Soaring Eagle Resort

Mt. Pleasant, MI

Online registration for vendors coming soon

Online registration for attendees coming in early fall

Matt Witter

Imperial Industries

Tighter Regulations Are Only a Matter of Time

Advanced treatment will become commonplace in every corner of the country, so wastewater professionals need to get on board with new technologies, says a NAWT board member

Compiled by Betty Dageforde

In Snapshot, we talk to a member of a state, provincial or national trade association in the decentralized wastewater industry. This time we visit a member of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians.

Association involvement:

I’ve been a member of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians for about five months and sit on the board of directors as the state representative for Michigan. I also sit on the board of directors for the Michigan Septic Tank Association.

Benefits of belonging to the association:

In areas where there is fragmented oversight of the industry, such as Michigan, where we have disagreements between counties, and some counties have no oversight at all, a national organization gives you the ability to standardize a set of protocols and routines so everyone is speaking the same language and is on the same level of understanding. And it makes it so you can communicate among professionals and with homeowners without sounding like a bunch of idiots arguing with each other.

Casey Fiedler

co-owner

with Matt Gustafson

Business: Michigan Septic LLC, Mason, Michigan

Age: 33

Services we offer: Everything septic — design and installation of conventional, advanced and alternative systems, maintenance, repairs, pumping. We do inspections for real estate transactions, operations and maintenance, and advanced and alternative systems. We don’t do design work inhouse but we work with outside engineers for that.

Years in the industry: I grew up in the business. My father, Terry Fiedler, bought Jerry Shunk’s septic service in 1990 and sold it in 2018. I ran that business its last three years then started my own company.

working. He works circles around everybody else. Cole Sworden works with Matt doing site work and putting systems in the ground. Trae Smith is our main pump truck driver.

Typical day on the job:

Biggest issue facing your association right now:

An issue that faces the industry as a whole is trying to consolidate organizations. We have a lot of different organizations at regional, national and state levels that are all putting a lot of energy and effort into basically the same thing and not communicating. And one of the biggest challenges for NAWT and the industry is open communications between organizations — local health departments, state regulators, nonprofits with educational missions in the septic world. They’re all pulling the industry forward but in slightly different directions.

Our crew includes:

My co-owner, Matt Gustafson, does our site work and most of our estimating. His son, Ethan Gustafson, is our service tech and does technical troubleshooting. Matt’s father, Roger Gustafson, is 72 and will not stop

We get together at the shop about 7:15 a.m. and do a quick team huddle. I brief everybody on anything coming up that might be something to watch out for. Guys are usually on the job site by 8 or 8:30. I do all our inspections, usually in the mornings. I drive water samples to the lab, which is not nearby so I grab some lunch on the road. Then I’m back in the office by early afternoon and get to all the phone calls and emails and follow-up inspection paperwork.

The job I’ll never forget:

When you do inspections you have to walk into people’s houses and you never know what you’re going to find. I showed up to a job and a piece of paper taped to the door said, “I’m on a Zoom call, let yourself in.” I opened the door and the house smelled terrible. I went into the kitchen to get the water running so I could get a water sample and there were used, open needles everywhere. Everything was dirty and there was standing water all over. It was the nastiest site visit I’ve ever done.

My favorite piece of equipment:

I live and die by my slide hammer probe from T&T Tools and my AMS hand auger. I can do 90% of my inspection work with only those two tools.

Most challenging site I’ve worked on:

We are currently working on a site where the existing drainfield has what was called an under-drain in the 1960s. You’d have your distribution pipes, then your gravel, then under that were other pipes that picked up the wastewater as it came down. In the 1960s they permitted those under-drain pipes to then take it over to the stormwater sewer — which, of course, is no longer allowed. So the county mandated a replacement. The lot we’re working on is postage stamp-sized with a landscaping pond, five mature trees and a well that has a 50-foot encroachment on one side. So we have a small space in which to build the new system. We’re just starting to sink our teeth into that project but it will be some type of non-linear pressure distribution system.

Oops, I wish I could take this one back:

Most of my frustrations come from inspections that are under a tight deadline. People call up last-minute with, “Nobody else can get to me and I’m closing on my dream house and I’ve got 10 days to do all my inspections.” Those always come back to bite me. The seller wants it to be good, the buyer wants it to be bad, the Realtor wants the deal to close yesterday, and you get trapped in the middle of it. The idea that you can pull off a well and septic inspection in 10 days is laughable between getting records, scheduling, dropping off water samples, waiting for results. And there’s no state-level standardized protocol so I have to compete with people who are not doing any of that. They dig a little hole and say, “Yep, you’re good.”

If I could change one industry regulation, it would be:

Michigan is the only state without a well and septic program at the state level so every county makes up their own rules. A license is required only for pumpers — not installers or inspectors. So it’s maybe not well thought out where they’re putting the emphasis on education and training. I would love to see a lot more thoughtful approach to unifying the industry and helping educate everyone.

Best piece of small business advice I’ve heard: Don’t cut corners. Don’t try to be a nice guy and overlook something because you’re trying to save the homeowner a big headache. Do it the right way every time because as soon as you give an inch that’s the one you’re going to get a phone call about.

If I wasn’t working in the wastewater industry, I would:

I have a degree in outdoor education and leadership. I was a full-time backpacking guide and alpine ski instructor in Park City, Utah for seven years. If I could, I would still be doing that. It’s a huge passion of mine. But it turns out ski instructors basically sell their kneecaps in exchange for money.

Crystal ball time –

This is my outlook for the wastewater industry:

With conservation of water and the shortages we’re seeing around the country, it’s only a matter of time before the wastewater industry, by necessity, is going to get tighter and more regulated. There will be more reuse and collection and tighter standards for discharges. I see the industry becoming more technical. We’re starting to see chlorine, ultraviolet disinfection, drip irrigation, spray irrigation and pioneering technologies in areas that 20 years ago you’d dig a trench and put a pipe in it. Reuse and conservation practices are on the upswing. Every year we get more complicated, control panels get more buttons and switches and things to troubleshoot. If you’re still just putting in concrete tanks and drainfield trenches, you might want to get ahead of the game because it’s only a matter of time before the more advanced systems find their way into all corners of the country.

Would you like to see someone in your state or provincial wastewater trade association profiled in Snapshot?

Send your suggestions to Jim Kneiszel at editor@onsiteinstaller.com

The Michigan Septic team includes, from left, Roger Gustafson, Trae Smith, Cole Sworden, Matt Gustafson, Ethan Gustafson and Casey Fiedler. Behind them is a 2022 Mack MD6 with a 2,500-gallon aluminum tank and National Vacuum Equipment blower. (Photos courtesy of Casey Fiedler)

SepticSmart Materials are available to download and print for FREE

There are challenges across the country due to improperly maintained or failing septic systems for many homeowners, local environmental groups, county health departments and local governments. EPA’s SepticSmart program aims to provide materials and resources to increase homeowner education on septic systems and promote awareness in caring for them.

SepticSmart education materials are targeted to homeowners but for use by anyone! These online resources may be downloaded, printed and shared as needed. Many of the materials are available in both English and Spanish and in some cases may be personalized by a business or local government.

Go to www.epa.gov/septic for more information about SepticSmart Week and materials you can use to help educate your customers.

Setting Clear Expectations In Contracts With Homeowners

Written by Corinne S. Rockoff, Maddin Hauser

A well-drafted contract can form the foundation for a successful relationship between septic professionals and their clients. Providing customers with clear contract terms not only allows everyone involved in a project to understand the scope of work and the responsibilities of both parties, but also safeguards against potential disputes. Having a clear contract means that both sides understand each other from the start, and is the first step to ensuring strong, consistent communication with customers.

There are certain core contract provisions that form the backbone of any agreement between septic professionals and homeowners. These provisions delineate each party’s expectations, roles, and responsibilities, ensuring that all parties involved clearly understand their commitments. Essential obligations that should be listed in a contract include the septic professional’s responsibilities, such as project schedules and deadlines, what it really means for the work to be “complete”, and of course, pricing. Beyond these baseline terms however, contracts should also address what responsibilities you may have with regard to any specific completion milestones along the way, how you may be required to comply with applicable environmental and safety standards, and how you will be engaged in the permitting process.

These additional obligations, while less obvious to a customer than terms like timing or pricing, are useful additions to a contract because they give the customer a real window into exactly what work you’re completing on their project that may be invisible to them. By explaining the work that you’re doing for them beyond what they can see, your contract can help the customer understand the real scale of they work you’ve taken on.

On the other side of the agreement, homeowners also bear a set of responsibilities critical to the project’s success. Chief among these is the obligation to make timely payments as outlined in the contract, but homeowners should also be aware that their responsibilities don’t end where the checkbook begins. A quality contract should communicate to the customer that they have other responsibilities to facilitate the work. For example, homeowners are expected to provide the installer with the necessary access to the property so that work can be completed efficiently and without delay.

Homeowners are also expected to be available to communicate about the logistics of the work and to respond to questions to ensure the work can move forward. A clear contract can even allow the parties to specify how they intend to keep in communication (email, phone call, text, etc.) and provide the specific phone number or email address at which both parties can be reached for questions. Giving the customer notice of these requirements by including them in plain language in the contract puts this issue at the forefront of their minds, and can help set clear expectations before the project even begins.

Contracts can be far more than the paperwork you pull out after a dispute arises with a customer. Instead, thinking about your contract as a proactive tool to help you communicate with your customers can help you prevent those disputes before they ever arise by communicating clearly from the beginning. Taking the time to think seriously about what your contract says to your customers is an investment both in the health of your business, and in the happiness of your customers.

Author Corinne S. Rockoff is a shareholder at Maddin Hauser. She handles real estate and mortgage litigation, general civil litigation, securitization transactions and disputes, title claims and litigation, construction disputes, and financial services matters.

Legislative Report by Bill Lievense, Capitol Group Consultants LLC

Work Continues On Proposed Septic Code Legislation

We are now on Draft 4 of proposed legislation to establish a statewide septic code (HB 4479/SB279) and create a wastewater technical advisory committee (HB 4480/SB 300) has been released. The bills create a new Part 128: Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in the public health code. MSTA representatives have been very involved in discussions with bill sponsors and key stakeholder groups. Key changes have been made to the bills as originally introduced. Issues continue to center around the definition of system failure/non-conformance, frequency of inspections, inspector certification, local health department staffing & funding, available waste disposal capacity and financing assistance mechanisms for system repairs or replacements. Expect continued discussion on the bill over the Summer with the possibility of action on the bills in Fall either prior to or after the November election.

PFAS Legislation Introduced

Legislation (HB 5657) has been introduced to prohibit the sale of products with intentionally added PFAS compounds beginning January 1, 2027 unless the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has issued a waiver for the product. The bill also prohibits the manufacture of sale firefighting foam containing PFAS beginning January 1, 2027. Additionally, beginning January 1, 2027 the manufacturer of a product intentionally containing PFAS must register the product with EGLE.

Tipping Fee Increase Off The Table For Now

Under Governor Whitmer’s proposed FY25 budget, the current 36 cent per ton tipping fee would increase to $5.00 per ton. EGLE has also proposed raising the tipping fee on high volume, low hazard waste increase from 12 cents per ton to $1.67 per ton. The $80 million in anticipated revenue would be used for the clean up of contaminated sites, recycling and other programs. This $80 million would be in addition to the current general fund budget allocation of $80 million for the RENEW Michigan program.

The proposed FY 2024/2025 EGLE budget no longer contains language to increase the solid waste tipping fee. However, this is largely due to legislators not wanting to vote for a “tax increase” in an election year. Promoters of increasing the fee increase want to “continue the discussion” about increasing the fee. There is concern the tipping fee increase proposal will reappear after the election in the lame duck legislative session.

Democrats Reassume Majority Control Of House Following Special Elections

House Democrats have regained their 56-54 majority in the House following two special elections in mid-April to replace two members who resigned to assume two local mayoral positions.

Budget Deliberations Dominate Legislative Agenda

After reconvening following a two-week Spring Break, the Legislature has been solely focused on getting the FY 2024/2025 budget passed by the July 1, 2024 statutory deadline. Expect little additional policy matters to be dealt with prior to the Summer Break which will likely begin July 1, 2024. Legislators are eager to adjourn for the summer to campaign for the November, 2024 election.

Bills To Eliminate Environmental Science Board and Permit Review Board

Legislation (SB 393, SB 394) to eliminate the Environmental Science Board and Environmental Permit Review Board have cleared the Senate and are poised for passage in the House. The Legislature recently passed legislation eliminating the Environmental Rules Review commission.

Legislation To Authorize Water Rules

Legislation (HB 5205) that would reverse a long-time ban on the issuance of administrative rules under the Water Resources Protection Act Part 31 of the Natural Resources & Environmental Protections Act (NREPA) was up for hearing before the House Natural Resources Committee in January. EGLE and the Democrats are strongly in favor of this bill.

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Discussions Continue With “Polluter Pay” Legislative Package

Identical seven-bill “polluter pay” packages were introduced in the House and Senate. The House bills have been referred to the House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee. The Senate bills have been referred to the Senate Energy and Environment Committee. Senator Irwin and Representative Morgan, who are spearheading the legislation, indicated that they are working toward hearings on the bills in the Spring. Business groups have already expressed their opposition to the bills but face a battle with Democrats and EGLE who are looking for reforms.

SB 605 (Irwin)/HB 5247 (Koleszar) would add reporting requirements to EGLE regarding cleanups and contaminated sites.

SB 606 (Moss)/HB 5242 (Morgan) would require cleanup to the highest standard technically feasible.

SB 607 (Chang)/HB 5245 (Arbit) would allow EGLE to set cleanup criteria without rulemaking.

SB 608 (Geiss)/HB 5246 (Tsernoglou) would require companies using hazardous materials to post up-front financial assurance to cover any cleanup.

SB 609 (McCann)/HB 5243 (Neeley) would adjust the statute of limitations and allow the state to bring claims on behalf of the public to cover cleanup costs for contaminants of emerging concern.

SB 610 (Shink)/HB 5241 (McKinney) would allow people exposed to hazardous substances to bring a claim to cover the costs of medical monitoring.

SB 611 (McMorrow)/HB 5244 (Skaggs) would adjust the statute of limitations to begin when a person discovers a claim.

Discussions are currently underway with EGLE about the bills. A potential hearing on the bill package in March never materialized.

Major Workers Compensation Reform Bills Under Consideration

Labor groups and trial lawyers are working on a package of bills to reform Michigan’s worker compensation law to reverse 2011 laws that courts have upheld in favor of employers. The proposals would expand who would qualify for benefits, increase benefits and create new opportunities for litigation. The Labor Committee chairs in both chambers support the proposed changes. Business groups are strongly opposed.

Bill To Expand Prevailing Wage To Renewable Energy Projects Clears Senate

Legislation (SB 571) to require solar and wind energy projects to pay prevailing wage has been introduced by Senator John Cherry. The bill received a hearing before the Senate Labor Committee and was reported to the Senate floor with an amended version (SB 571 S-2).

Bill

Introduced To Allow Local Governments To Set Wage/Benefit

HB 5533 would repeal the existing prohibition on local governments imposing minimum wage and benefits for workers in their jurisdictions.

Decision Expected Soon On “Adopt & Amend” Case Impacting Paid Sick Leave

On January 26, 2023 the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed the Court of Claims and affirmed the legislature’s ability to “adopt & amend” two 2018 ballot proposals which would have imposed onerous minimum wage and mandated employee sick leave requirements on all employers. The ruling permits the existing amended law to remain in place for now. This matter has been appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court for final adjudication and the Supreme Court heard oral arguments the first week in December. A decision is expected in Spring, 2024.

Ruling Expected On One Year Income Tax Cut

Under a 2015 law, if state revenues exceeded a certain percentage, the income tax rate would be reduced by .20%. The Attorney General has opined, and Michigan Court of Claims has ruled that the reduction in the state income tax from 4.25% to 4.05% is only effective for one year, despite claims by Republicans the language in the law was meant to make the tax cut permanent unless increased by a vote of the Legislature. The Michigan Court of Appeals is expected to rule on the matter by March 11th

Innovation Fund Created Under New Bill Package

In the Governor’s State of the State address she proposed creating a fund to attract and retain young companies. The House Economic Development Committee reviewed a package of bills (HB 5651, HB 5652, HB 5652) to create a Michigan Innovation Fund program to support small business development

R&D Tax Credit Legislation Closer To Finish Line

Legislation (HB 5099, HB 5100, HB 5101, HB 5102, HB 4368) to create a Research & Development Tax Credit has cleared the Michigan House and Senate. The bills would establish a Research and Development (R&D) tax credit for eligible taxpayers and employers. Taxpayers and authorized businesses with 250 or more employees could claim up to $2.0 million per taxpayer or business, respectively, per year. Taxpayers and authorized businesses with fewer than 250 employees could claim up to $250,000 per taxpayer or business, respectively, per year. Additionally, taxpayers or employers could claim up to $200,000 in an additional credit for expenses from collaboration with a research university. The aggregate number of R&D credits could not exceed $100.0 million, and if they did, the Department of Treasury (DoT) would have to prorate the credits as prescribed by the bills. The bills would require the DOT to submit an annual report concerning the effectiveness and operation of the proposed R&D tax credits. (See Full Package Summary).

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Former “Good Jobs”/Now “HIRE” Bills Advance

The Good Jobs for Michigan Program was an economic development tool that sought to create new jobs in the State. It was created in 2017 and sunset in 2019. A package of bills (See Summary of SB 579-SB 581) has been introduced to amend the Michigan Strategic Fund Act to rename the Good Jobs for Michigan Program as the High-wage Incentive for Regional Employment in (HIRE) Michigan Program. It also modifies the requirements for certified new jobs under the Program, the requirements that a business would have to meet to be considered as eligible for the HIRE Program. The package has been passed by the Senate and referred to the House Committee On Economic Development and Small Business. A similar package has been introduced in the House (HB 5413, HB 5414, HB 5415) with one committee hearing held in February. Revised Economic Development Incentive Program Clears Senate/Faces Hurdles

Legislation (HB 5095, HB 5104, HB 5105, HB 5106, HB 5107) to rename the Strategic Outreach & Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund the “Make It In Michigan” Fund and revise the awarding of incentives to add community benefits previously passed the House. The Critical Industry program, the Strategic Site Readiness program, and the Michigan 360 program would be considered the three “Make it in Michigan” programs.

A similar package cleared the Senate (SB 559, SB 560, 561, 562, 569) just prior to thew Spring Break. Both bill packages remain controversial as under the Michigan 360 Program they divert 50% of project economic development funds to the local communities for various purposes (including infrastructure and childcare) rather than solely to the project. To date the Governor has not supported the use of funds for purposes other than the economic development project itself.

Attorney General Announces New Utility Website

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced she has created a new Utilities website dedicated to her department’s work in intervening in utility cases on behalf of Michigan rate payers. The website also contains information about how to file for a utility outage credit and more.

MPSC Approves Consumers Energy Electric Rate Increase

The MPSC announced it approved a $92 million rate increase for Consumers Energy electric customers which is a reduction of $124 million from the original request of $216 million. Case U-21389. The new rates were effective March 15, 2024.

MPSC Approves DTE Green Pricing Program

The MPSC has approved DTE’s proposed voluntary green pricing program that allow customers to elect how much of their energy is to be generated from renewable energy sources.

MPSC Seeks Comments Renewable Energy Plan Requirements

The MPSC announced it is requesting input on draft amended renewable energy plan filing requirements as the agency works through implementation of Michigan’s 2023 energy law updates (Case No. U-21568). The MPSC in February opened proceedings on a number of changes that the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made in 2023 to the state’s energy laws. The changes include increasing renewable portfolio standards for utilities, raising energy waste reduction targets, and granting siting authority to the MPSC for certain utilityscale clean energy projects.

Attorney General Seeks Reduction of Consumers Energy Gas Rate Hike

Attorney General Dana Nessel announced she is arguing for a 96% reduction in Consumers Energy’s proposed gas rate hike.

Attorney General Seeking Proposals For Counsel To Sue Fossil Fuel Industry For Climate Change

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced her Department will begin seeking proposals from attorneys and law firms to serve as Special Assistant Attorneys General to pursue litigation related to the climate change impacts caused by the fossil fuel industry on behalf of the State of Michigan.

EGLE Releases 2024 Water Report

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) announced the release of its 2024 Water Quality & Pollution Control in Michigan report.

EGLE Releases Final Draft of Vapor Intrusion Guidance Document

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) announced it has released a final draft of the Petroleum Vapor Intrusion Guidance Document.

EGLE Announces $20 Million Environmental Justice Impact Grants

EGLE has announced a new $20 million Environmental Justice Impact Grant program offered by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate (OEJPA). These resources were made possible by the Michigan Legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in the fiscal year 2024 budget.

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MSTA Marketing Corner

Announcing our new MSTA Facebook Page and YouTube Channel

We now have an MSTA Facebook Page, Instagram Page and YouTube Channel. These social media platforms will be your access to industry resources and event information for MSTA Members and the public. See below how you can access and subscribe to these.

Facebook Page: If you have a Facebook account, search Michigan Septic Tank Association and be sure to LIKE the page. We will be posting links and resources for our members and the public.

Instagram Page: Search for Michigan Septic Tank Association and Click FOLLOW.

YouTube Channel: From the Facebook Page you can scroll through the posts to find where you can click on the link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also go to YouTube.com or your YouTube App and search Michigan Septic Tank Association. Highlights of the 2023 MSTA Annual Conference and speaker presentations are loaded to this channel.