If you follow international news you have heard of Carbon Credits, but have you heard of Wetland Credits? Grand Haven Area Public Schools paid $177,920 in Wetland Credits to build a Half Million Dollar Road to Nowhere.
Carbon Credits are a type of Ponzi scheme whereby people who want to pollute the environment with carbon pay a fee in order to do so. At the center of the Carbon Credit scheme is the World Bank; a group of mysterious but wealthy stakeholders who “own” the credits. Polluters pay fees depending on how much they want to pollute and then proceed with their business. Donald Trump’s action of pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords brought international attention to the Carbon Credits grift.
Well, the State of Michigan has created a similar scheme. Unlike the Carbon Credit system, the Wetland Credit System is functioning and currently legal in Michigan. Just like Carbon Credits are sold to the public as a way to offset pollution, Wetland Credits are sold to the public as a way to offset destruction of Wetlands. Environmentalists have determined wetlands are a crucial factor in preserving a natural habitat for plants, birds, and aquatic life, water quality protection and groundwater recharge. Because it is desirable to protect these natural environments, the State of Michigan created a way for people to offset the destruction of wetlands by simultaneously creating new wetlands. This is known as Wetland Mitigation Banking.
In Michigan, if someone wants to destroy wetlands, they pay a fee which is collected by The Wetland Bank (someone else) who vows to create wetlands. In exchange, permits required for construction by State and Federal Governments are promptly issued. In effect, the entity that wants to undergo a construction project has just paid a fee that has nothing to do with the actual construction, but enables them to build. To me this sounds like extortion?
Another problem with Wetland Mitigation Banking in the State of Michigan is there are few checks and balances in place to ensure new wetlands are actually created. As someone looking at Wetland Mitigation Banking from the outside, it seems paying for Wetland Credits is an easy way to make money disappear.
According to the GHAPS School Board Meeting Minutes from August 10, 2020, Carl Treutler made a motion to pay $177,920 to Ingham County for wetland credits. The motion was seconded by Christine Baker and passed by a vote of 7-0.
The legal purchase of Wetland Credits by GHAPS sanctioned through the State of Michigan raises many questions.
Why did GHAPS choose to purchase their Wetland credits from Ingham County?
Who in Ingham County received $177,920 from GHAPS?
Why did GHAPS build a road with a construction cost of $500,000 that is rarely used? Couldn’t that money have benefitted students more if allocated differently?
The land located at Lincoln and 152nd where GHAPS wants to build a new middle school also contains wetlands. How much will GHAPS spend on Wetland Credits to complete this proposed project?