LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – A bill to find alternatives to salt and chemical de-icing agents used on Michigan roads gained new momentum in the State House today.
A group of seven Republicans introduced that bill in the State Senate last year, and it was approved there within three months. It has stagnated in the State House for more than a year, but today it was transferred to the House Ways and Means Committee for consideration.
The bill would create a pilot program in the Department of Transportation to research organic options to prevent ice buildup on Michigan’s roads. It would assess the performance of those alternatives, including how much they cost and their impact on the environment.
Liquid by-products from the processing of sugar beets have been proposed as a salt alternative in recent years. The bill requires them to be included in the pilot program. Michigan is one of the nation’s top producers of sugar beets.
