“Michigan’s environment has dramatically improved since the 1970s, when foundational environmental statutes were enacted by the state and federal governments. … There could have been even greater improvement at far less cost — both economic and social — had policymakers foregone centralized regulatory control in favor of the transformative powers of market incentives and private property rights. But it is not too late for change.”
Building on these opening words in the Environment Policy Initiative Blueprint, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy will encourage free-market-focused changes as we create an outline for developing, managing and protecting Michigan’s environment and energy resources.
The Environment Policy Initiative will focus on key energy and environmental issues that hold the public’s interest. We will answer important questions about environmental and energy policy in Michigan. For example,
Some areas where Michigan has a clear natural advantage include:
The Environmental Policy Initiative will provide research and resources that show how free markets and the protection of property rights can promote development and job creation while maintaining a clean and healthy natural environment.
However, research on its own is not enough to encourage the development of free-market-based policies. The other essential part of this initiative will be to tell the stories of the people who live, work and recreate in Michigan. It will show how policies promoting liberty, property rights and free enterprise can improve their lives, create new jobs and improve environmental health.
Michigan’s citizens expect the freedom to work and recreate in a safe and clean environment. It will be the work of the Environmental Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center to help lay out a pathway for the state to achieve those expectations.
