5/28/2025

BESSEMER – Saturday is Bessemer's Clean-Up Day. This event is free for Bessemer residents only from 9am to 1 Saturday.  A chance to clear out old furniture, clothes, cardboard boxes and all the clutter that’s been piling up.  Rental Property owners will be allowed the equivalent of one pick-up truck load per property.  Take items to the Osmose Road snow dump sites.  Dumpsters will be set up to dump your unwanted items.  Electronic Waste, brush, car batteries, tires, appliances and paint products will not be accepted.  Residents will be responsible for unloading their own items. 

5/28/2025

N. WISCONSIN - The House budget bill would reform environmental permitting in Wisconsin and nationwide, potentially streamlining the process and reducing litigation exposure.

The House budget bill would reform environmental permitting in Wisconsin and nationwide, potentially streamlining the process and reducing litigation exposure. Under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, large projects with the potential to affect the environment must complete environmental assessments or impact statements. This includes all federal agencies, and impacts private development projects that need federal permits. The new provision would create an expedited review process for a fee of 25 percent on top of the usual cost of a NEPA review. Thomas Hochman with the Foundation for American Innovation says the new rule would also shield projects from NEPA-related litigation.

:16  "There are quotes from folks like an outgoing EPA General Counsel, who say 90% of the details in a NEPA review are purely there for litigation-proofing the document. You can imagine if you only need 10% of the details in that environmental impact statement, because you know that you are not at risk of litigation, that is almost certainly a radically faster timeline."

Tag:  NEPA reform has been attempted by both parties in Congress in recent years, but it couldn't get passed in the Senate. This is the first time it's been attempted in the budget reconciliation process. Last September, the Cardinal-Hickory Creek clean energy power transmission line connecting Wisconsin and Iowa began operating after more than a decade of planning and multiple periods of litigation delay.

Second Cut: In court, federal agencies have an 80 percent success rate on appeal and their environmental reviews are not often changed through litigation. One study of NEPA reviews shows solar energy projects face the highest litigation rate. Frequent litigation was also seen with pipelines, transmission lines and wind energy projects. Despite shortening the process, Hochman says the reforms may also make projects subject to shifting political agendas.

:19  "If you let each administration determine what the cost is, and also spend time determining what the cost should be, you can potentially see differences in treatment. So, you know, maybe a Republican administration drags their feet and puts out a really high cost for a wind project that's going through an environmental impact statement. Maybe a Democratic administration does the same for a pipeline that's going through environmental impact statement."

Tag:  Projects may still face litigation under other environmental laws such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

5/28/2025

UPPER MICHIGAN - A man and woman from Georgia have been arrested for use of stolen credit cards at several businesses in the U.P. of Michigan. The Michigan State Police received a tip that two subjects had bilked store owners out of more than $21,000 in merchandise. The MSP and Iron Mountain Police working together located a vehicle driven by the two suspects, and the two were arrested. 34-year-old Jonathan Daniels from Lithonia, Georgia was arraigned on charges of larceny by Conversion greater than $1,000 but less than $20,000, financial Transaction Device- Uttering and Publishing, and Possession of Fraudulent Financial Transaction Device. 28-year-old Shanee Clark from Covington, Georgia was arraigned on similar charges. Daniels bond was set at $30,000, Clark’s bond was set at $20,000. They are lodged in the Dickinson County Jail. Both are habitual offenders and are scheduled to appear in court June 5th.