The precedent, and the amount of the settlement, has been cited by the DEQ as justification for its kid glove handling of a private businessman who wants to drill a well in the undeveloped, spectacular Jordan Valley. In nearly any other state capitol, there would be no question that life-threatening industrial practices have no place in residential neighborhoods. In Michigan, however, it's all been turned upside down. Here property rights come before safety. So in Filer Township officials are depleting their treasury to protect citizens from state actions.
Dangerous wells continue to operate there.
At least 15 people have been injured. The threat is real, not theoretical. Nothing in the annals of American jurisprudence, or common sense, justifies such an abandonment of governmental responsibility. A version of this article was published in the Detroit Free Press on March 10, 1997.