The bill amends the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act by updating Section 32512 to clarify the permitting process for activities related to waterways connected to the Great Lakes, including Lake St. Clair. It specifies that a permit must be issued by the department in accordance with part 13 for activities such as constructing or dredging artificial waterways, connecting natural or artificial waterways to the Great Lakes, dredging or placing materials on bottomland, and constructing marinas. The bill also introduces a new provision that allows for certain activities, such as leveling sand, removing vegetation, and mowing between the ordinary high-water mark and the water's edge, to be exempt from regulation and not require a permit.

Additionally, the bill expands the definition of permissible activities by allowing the removal of debris, including free-floating vegetation, between the ordinary high-water mark and the water's edge using mechanical or manual means, provided that such removal does not impact the lakebed. The previous exclusion of lands included in the survey of the delta of the St. Clair River from these regulations has been removed, thereby subjecting those lands to the same rules as other areas.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 324.32512