Holland Reporter

State Representatives Ken Borton and Angela Rigas have drawn attention to investigations and budget discussions concerning Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The representatives said continued work on the state budget is necessary due to what they describe as persistent waste, fraud, and abuse within the DNR.

“It’s no secret that I’ve been at odds with the DNR for a long time,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “But it’s hard not to be when, for decades, they’ve taken our taxpayer resources and used them against us. That changes with our DNR budget plan for next year. Eyebrows will raise when you see the amount of junk we’re going to carve out of that department.”

Borton and Rigas have attempted to work with DNR leadership since Republicans took control of the state House in January. According to both legislators, their efforts to collaborate on addressing problems related to sportsmen and resource management have been unsuccessful.

“It’s baffling to me how I can extend an olive branch to the DNR, and they’ll immediately break the branch at the stem and throw it in the same politicized, corrupt fire that’s been fueling the department for years,” Borton said. “They have no interest in changing, so we’ll have to do it for them.”

Rigas stated that a lack of transparency from the DNR led her committee—the House Oversight Committee—to subpoena information after deadlines were missed by the department.

“I never would’ve guessed that over 90% of the issues I’ve worked on as chair of the House Committee on Government Weaponization would be regarding the DNR,” said Rigas, R-Caledonia. “The DNR has backlogged our committee with the sheer number of ways they’ve used their department against the public. Historically, the DNR has waited out lawmakers who targeted their weaponization tactics through term limits. Luckily for us, recent changes to term limits mean many of us could be here for another ten years.”

Both representatives criticized various initiatives by the DNR including increased hunting and fishing license fees, mandatory recreation passports for vehicles, geese euthanasia programs, forest clearing for solar panels projects, legal actions against hog farmers, regulation affecting taxidermists, and enforcement practices under what is known as the Open Field Doctrine.

“The more we looked into the DNR, the more we realized they literally have a slush fund they use to weaponize state government against the public,” Rigas said. “They pay people to lobby lawmakers to raise hunting and fishing licenses so they can afford to euthanize geese. They pay people to mount pressure campaigns to force every driver into a recreation passport so they can continue to wage legal war on hog farmers and taxidermists. The DNR’s bad behavior will soon be on full display, and they’re not getting away with it this time.”