LANSING, Mich. — Legislation to strengthen Michigan's dam safety regulations is closing in on becoming law after the state House recently passed Senate Bill 947 with overwhelming support.

The bill is the second half of a cross-chamber effort launched in response to findings from state reports on the Edenville and Sanford dam failures in 2020.

The combined package of legislation would:

  • Increase rules for high and significant hazard dams.
  • Require all dams to be inspected by the state every 10 years, along with additional reports on dam conditions.
  • Require licenses to be re-evaluated every 10 years, with more stringent design parameters.
  • Require dam owners to maintain and update records, including emergency plans.
  • Expand data sharing between state and federal regulators.
  • Create a dam safety fund for the state to assist in fixing issues.

The Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Oakland), who said extreme weather events are becoming more frequent.

"One of the minor details that was put into this bill was eliminating the definition of a 200-year storm because now it is not 200 years, it is every few years," she said. "It happens more regularly than we've seen in the past and we just have to accept that this is the new normal, that we are going to see very heavy rains, we are gonna see very very floods and our infrastructure needs to be prepared for."

The legislation is tied to House Bill 5485, authored by Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland), whose district was devastated by the 2020 dam failures.

"I've had a lot of conversations with my constituents, with local leaders in my district, and I think they all agree that it's past time to get this done and let's learn the lessons to prevent this type of disaster from affecting any community in the state of Michigan ever again," Schuette said.

The bills were negotiated between both parties and chambers, with input from state departments. The Senate bill includes an amendment from Schuette that ensures local officials have resources and that regulations are duplicated between the state and federal levels.

"This is a great example of Republicans, Democrats, the legislature, and the executive branch coming together and trying to solve a problem," Schuette said. "I think people want more of that right now in our government and I'm happy that we've been able to break some serious ground in that."

Both Schuette and McMorrow said the legislation would allow Michigan to take a more active role in dam safety.

"We are living in a moment where the federal government is volatile, to say the least, and there is an effort on the federal level to slash and invert a lot of federal agencies and regulatory bodies," McMorrow said. "I think it is important for all of our residents to ensure that on the state level we're doing what we can to protect the residents."

The Senate could take up both pieces of legislation this week, and Schuette said he is confident they will pass. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the bills into law.