LANSING, MI (AP)-- Governor Rick Snyder has vetoed legislation that would have limited regulators' authority to designate sections of state land for protection of biological diversity.
The Republican governor says maintaining biodiversity is an essential forest management practice. He says reducing the Department of Natural Resources' powers in that area would cause confusion and harm forests.
The bill was sponsored by Republican Senator Tom Casperson of Escanaba. He says it's needed to prevent the DNR from making large tracts of state land off-limits to logging and motorized recreation.
In a letter Thursday to the Republican-controlled state Senate explaining his decision, Snyder says the legislation could threaten certification of Michigan's forests by organizations that evaluate how sustainably they are managed. He says that could make Michigan less able to attract forest products investment.