MARQUETTE, MI (AP)-- Some local governments in the Upper Peninsula are opposing a Senate bill that would reduce seasonal restrictions on logging trucks and equipment.
Commissioners in Marquette and Baraga counties have gone on record with their opposition. Critics fear additional damage to soft roads during the spring thaw.
Marquette County Commissioner Karen Alholm says she can't support legislation that favors one industry. The sponsor, Sen. Tom Casperson, a Republican from Escanaba, says trucking companies still would be required to post a $2,000-per-mile bond in case of damage.
Casperson says it means the industry has "skin in the game." But Jim Iwanicki, manager of the Marquette County Road Commission, says $2,000 per mile isn't enough. He also fears a long legal process if a trucker isn't cooperative.
