The root cause for the collapse is now pointing towards the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) - from Michigan Live:
Failed dam owner fought with state over Wixom Lake levels before flood
Owners of a collapsed dam that caused major flooding in Michigan say they were pressured by the state to maintain elevated water levels on Wixom Lake behind it, despite concerns about the structure’s ability to handle flooding. It is an accusation a state agency spokesperson calls “misinformation.”
Boyce Hydro Power LLC owners accused Michigan regulators of being more concerned with preserving aquatic life and appeasing property owners than ensuring public safety in a statement following the catastrophic Edenville Dam collapse on Tuesday, May 19.
A bit more:
In April, Boyce and the state sued each other in state and federal court over the company’s attempts to lower Wixom Lake, an impoundment reservoir that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) says is home to endangered freshwater mussels that were killed by drawdowns in 2018 and 2019.
Boyce says it asked EGLE for permission to lower Wixom Lake last fall “due to concern for the safety of its operators and the downstream community.” EGLE and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources denied the request. Boyce lowered the lake without approval in mid-November “believing its safety concerns were paramount.”
Boyce sued the state on April 29 in Grand Rapids federal court, arguing the state lacks scientific validation for its endangered species concerns and should allow the drawdowns.
Fscking environmental activists. Much more at the site - typical enviro bullshit. It is a dam. It is artificial. There was a time when it was not there. To call the mussels "native" and "endangered" is just a technique to fill the rice bowls of the enviros and their government toadies.
I am not advocating trashing the environment - I used to work with the Seattle office of Greenpeace for many years but quit them when they veered away from their science roots. What is being done now is not science, it is cultural marxism masquerading as "taking care of the planet". In reality, the planet is fine.
And, of course, half-Whitmer shows her true colors - from a different article at Michigan Live:
Critical dams shouldn’t be privately owned, Gov. Whitmer says after Michigan dam break caused record flooding
Dams and other pieces of critical infrastructure shouldn’t be owned by private entities, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday after record-breaking flooding caused by a dam break forced thousands of Michigan residents to evacuate their homes.
Yeahhhh riggghhht... Like Nationalizing the infrastructure will make things better. In your dreams. Just ask Cuba or Argentina.
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