Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Mineral Rights Auction Should be of Concern

Waterfront resident dismayed with state's lax rules and subsidies for oil companies.

This letter was received by West Bloomfield Patch local editor Tim Rath. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will start selling mineral rights for $10 an acre Oct. 24, reduced from $12 an acre in May 2012.  In other states, these rights go for up to $22,000 an acre. Why is Michigan forfeiting billions to subsidize a highly-profitable industry? The industry supply chain ends with companies like Exxon, Shell, BP — those who can afford to pay the state fairly. (1) Why should this industry supply chain profit from trading? (2) Why isn’t the state smarter about pricing and monetizing these rights? (3) I was at the May auction for eight hours, only a few parcels had any competitive bidding. We are using an antiques roadshow model to …

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West Bloomfield Officials Ban Drilling for a Six-month Period

Local officials say they are bound by state law limiting oil and natural gas drilling.

Over the next six months, the West Bloomfield Township officials will work to drill out an ordinance restricting oil and natural gas drilling. The township board of trustees voted unanimously at Monday night's meeting to enact a six-month moratorium on drilling operations, which should allow for enough time to fully understand the consequences of state laws which restrict local governments on the issue. The moratorium will run from Sept. 1 through Feb. 28. However, a developer may request a public hearing from the township in order to explain hardship or a violation of state and federal laws. The issue initially came before the board in May. At a state auction of drilling rights, Jordan Development of Traverse City purchased much of the …

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Cass Lake Resident Works to Fight Oil and Gas Drilling in West Bloomfield

Kathy Chiaravalli, a 23-year West Bloomfield resident, worked with township government officials to inform them of the possibility of drilling in her back yard.

Kathy Chiaravalli has owned her home on Cass Lake in West Bloomfield Township for 23 years, but it wasn't until recently that she found out she doesn't own the rights to the minerals that can be found near her property. Neighbors of Chiaravalli's lakefront property, along with many others in West Bloomfield and across Michigan, were up for auction in Lansing earlier this month and purchased for lease by private developers in pursuit of oil and natural gas deposits. Now, thanks to Chiaravalli and her work to shed light on the issue, township officials are working to get better-acquainted with state law in the interest of keeping the minerals in town. "(Kathy) pushed this and she brought it to our attention and she made me read all this …

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Township Residents Speak Out Against 'Robo-Call'

Town Hall was packed Monday night with angry and frustrated residents concerned with politics in West Bloomfield.

Updated: 8:58 a.m., May 15, 2012 Residents angered and frustrated by a lawsuit brought in September 2010 by Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste and Trustee Steven Kaplan against West Bloomfield Township packed Town Hall Monday night after allegedly receiving a "robo-call" Sunday morning in support of the two government officials. Residents at the meeting said it made mention of Trustee Larry Brown’s election to defer income earned at township board meetings ($125 per meeting) to a benevolent fund he established in 2009 in order to help township residents struggling with their water and sewer bills to keep their water on. As part of the lawsuit, Economou Ureste and Kaplan claim that Brown should pay taxes on the income. The item had been …

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