New Michigan wetlands law good for cranberries

Jennifer Youssef / The Detroit News

Michigan's cranberry industry has a better shot of expanding after Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a new wetlands law Thursday that will make production easier.

The law allows the state to retain control of its existing wetlands and create new ones, which will help the cranberry industry to produce the tart fruit that grows in marshy conditions. Consumer demand for the berries is high, and the state wants to attract growers and juice producers that will bring hundreds of jobs and pour millions of dollars into the economy.

The one-time economic impact of adding 2,500 acres of cranberry bogs in the state will be $153 million, with 1,082 jobs created to construct the bogs, according to a 2008 report by Michigan State University's Product Center. The additional acreage would generate nearly $30 million for the state annually and create 383 jobs beyond bog construction.

• Under the new law, a $1,000 fee for site visits by environmental assurance agencies will be waived for three years. Growers usually request one or two such visits each year.

• The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and the state Department of Environmental Quality will help growers develop a map of potential sites suitable for cranberry production.

• The state's definition of wetlands is now consistent with the federal government's definition, reducing the amount of problems that arise from misinterpretations of the meaning between state and federal agencies.

"We're glad to see the governor move forward and sign the bill," said Matt Smego, legislative council for the Michigan Farm Bureau, which helped negotiate an agreement between cranberry growers and the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality, the agencies responsible for protecting wetlands. "It will incentivize cranberry production in the state."

Michigan has about 307 acres of cranberries spread among six farms. Cranberry production in the state was valued at $2.25 million in 2007, the last numbers available, said Bob Craig, who directs the agricultural development division at the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

The Michigan Environmental Council supported the bill, although it wasn't completely satisfied with the final draft, spokesman Hugh McDiarmid said.

"The bill is an imperfect fix to a problem, but it's better than the alternative, which is allowing the federal government to oversee Michigan's wetlands," he said.

jyoussef@detnews.com (313)222-2300