It’s a pleasure to share Leelanau County with Dan Scripps.
A reluctant attorney — Mr. Scripps has spent the bulk of his time since U-M law school advocating for clean energy rather than defending clients — he’s never forgotten his ties to Northport, where he’s quietly raising a family.
But Mr. Scripps’ attribute that sticks out most has nothing to do with passion for his beliefs nor family values, as admirable as those may be.
It’s a willful avoidance of politics as chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
The MPSC, in its most controversial decision ever, last month approved construction of a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac to protect the Line 5 pipeline. The tunnel plan is touted as an environmental shield by Enbridge, which holds a lease with the state of Michigan to operate pipelines under the Straits to transport petroleum products from the Upper to the Lower Peninsula.
But the tunnel has drawn hatred from environmental groups and our state’s top leaders. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who in 2020 appointed Mr. Scripps as chair of the MPSC, desperately tried to revoke Engridge’s easement in that same year, demanding that the company “cease operations” in 2021. Attorney General Dana Nessel this fall enjoined the state of Michigan in a lawsuit filed by a Wisconsin Indian tribe seeking to shut down Line 5.
And yet, there was the MPSC, comprised of two Democrats and one Republican, approving a tunnel that at one time came with a $500 million price tag to build. No doubt that figure will be greatly inflated by legal and bureaucratic roadblocks before the project is finished, if it ever is. The Biden administration is no fan and is trying its best to block construction.
I’m no expert on the environmental damage or protection that will result from the tunnel. Don’t misunderstand my intent; with this column I’m not wading into the pros and cons of the project, which eventually slips into the fossil fuel feud. No thank you. Save your letters.
But I do keep a close eye on the process of governments, mainly local bodies from townships to the county. And occasionally, when needed and where there is a local connection, I opine on the actions of state government.
I asked Mr. Scripps in an earlier interview his thoughts on the Line 5 approval not just because it was news worthy. I was curious.
“I think it speaks to the difference between a policy maker and a regulator,” said Mr. Scripps, who for two years represented Leelanau County as a State House member in Lansing.
How refreshing. At a time when folks from both parties regard their offices as little more than stages from which to push political outcomes, Mr. Scripps stays in his regulatory lane. He separates policy from emotion — and ambition.
Whether good or bad for Michigan in the long run, I’m thankful that approval came from a Democrat majority. Can you imagine the backlash had a Republican-controlled MPSC reached the same conclusion given an identical set of facts?
So here’s a tip of the hat and a thank you to Dan Scripps and other public officials who fight the good fight. In a political era condoning victory at any cost, it’s encouraging to find integrity in the process of governing.
