Exclusive: Snyder talks CTE, jobs, weighs in on controversial issues
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MARQUETTE -- Gov. Rick Snyder made career technical education a focal point during an exclusive interview Wednesday with The Mining Journal, but declined to offer an opinion on more controversial issues like aging pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac or comments made by fellow Republican President Donald Trump about violence this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Snyder on his tour of the Upper Peninsula this week spent time in Marquette on Wednesday and planned to attend the Upper Peninsula State Fair in Escanaba today.
"I put out a statement saying, you know, hate groups are not right, they're just wrong, and we need to work to unify in our country," Snyder said. "America's at its best when we work together and the role of hate groups do not help matters. It's not constructive, it's morally wrong, and I don't want 'em in Michigan."
One Charlottesville resident died and 19 were injured Saturday when a car drove into a group of counter-protesters at a rally of white nationalists who carried torches and chanted Nazi slogans, according to media reports. The car was allegedly driven by a 20-year-old Ohio man connected to white supremacist groups.
Trump has been criticized this week for blaming "both sides" for the violence and for taking two days to call out white supremacist groups specifically, though in statements he did condemn bigotry, according to media reports.
Snyder said "making commentary on the president is not the best role for me."
"Like I said I'm going to focus on trying to get Michiganders to work together," Snyder said. "The president is the president of the United States, he can make his own statements."
Snyder also declined to take sides on whether to shut down twin Enbridge oil pipelines that run below the Straits of Mackinac, an increasingly divisive issue that pits environmental against industry groups.
Line 5 ships up to 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids per day through the U.P., then south through the Lower Peninsula and beyond. The pipeline splits into twin, 20-inch pipes underwater at the bottom of the straits.
A report commissioned by the state and released in early June about the condition of the 65-year-old pipeline was scrapped after it was found to violate conflict of interest provisions in its contract, according to the Detroit Free Press. Another report released in June analyzes pipeline alternatives.
Snyder said he is waiting for a finalized report and public comment before taking a position.
"That was the preliminary report, and so we actually followed up with a lot of questions on our own, but there's also the public hearings going on, so part of it is listening to the public to find out what are their issues and concerns," Snyder said. "So I want to really see that process get completed before I take a position on this, because I want to make sure it's done in a thoughtful way where I listen to the citizens and we have a chance to follow up."
Attorney General Bill Schuette has called for the pipeline to be shut down.
Despite speculation about Schuette's potential Republican bid for governor in 2018, he has not announced it.
Snyder said he's not endorsing any gubernatorial candidate at this point, saying more candidates will likely announce, and he's busy working on the current job of being governor.
On the U.P.'s economic future, Snyder said that's something communities should decide for themselves.
A report on the topic was released earlier this month, commissioned by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation as part of the governor's Project Empire initiative, which he created to explore alternative employment opportunities and economic solutions after the indefinite idling of the Empire Mine and the loss of about 400 local jobs.
The report says economic rebound is possible and looks at other mining communities that successfully redefined their economy after the loss of extractive industries.
Snyder said he wants the state to be a supportive partner once communities define "what they perceive as their future."
"It's not about the state coming in to tell a community what their future is, it really comes from the community working well together, sort of defining what they see as opportunities and then us providing supportive resources," Snyder said. "So it's really a case of happy to provide resources to help with economic development, community development, talent development, (and) looking at other areas to be supportive in terms of helping them help themselves."
Snyder pointed to healthcare, business, computer and web-design, and the trades as potential economic drivers in the future.
"It would be great if we could do more computer-training in our schools, because I think there's an opportunity for smaller communities to potentially get software companies to say they want to set up or web-design companies to set up anywhere from 20- to 80-person kind of operations," Snyder said. "An operation of that size could be very exciting and help turn the community around."
After visiting local schools this week, Snyder said he's especially excited about opportunities provided by career technical education, including computer-aided design and engineering classes, welding and more.
Referencing Ishpeming High School's geometry in construction class, Snyder said, "that was one case where you can see kids learning geometry smiling coming out of class. That's not quite often the case in many places in our country."
Snyder said goals for the rest of his tenure include continued support of career-technical education, reforms for local government pensions and retirement benefits, improving accountability and transparency in assessing schools, and environmental issues like recycling.
He pointed to the economy in looking at his administration's successes so far, specifically Michigan's improved corporate tax ranking, business climate and unemployment rates.
Mary Wardell can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is mwardell@miningjournal.net.