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Word of Faith
International
Christian Center

R ETIR EMENT LI V ING

Beautiful, maintenance-free apartment homes
are available now at Fox Run.

The Brighton Large one bedroom

Drilling For Oil

Living Area
12’3” x 17’9”

Residents clash with Southfield church
members who want the extra income.

Bedroom
12’4” x 13’0”

Linen

Louis Finkelman | Contributing Writer

Walk-In
Closet

O

n Wednesday evening, Feb.
17, every seat in Southfield
High School’s auditorium
was filled, lines of people stood along
the back and side walls, and the crowd
overflowed into the halls, all waiting to
take part in public comment on plans
to drill for oil in Southfield.
One of the pre-
senters, senior geolo-
gist Jack Lanigan
of the Department
of Environmental
Quality (DEQ), esti-
mated the crowd at
more than 1,000.
State Rep. Jeremy
Jack Lanigan
Moss had called
for the meeting
as the Michigan
Department of
Environmental
Quality considers
an application from
Southfield’s Word of
Faith International
Jeremy Moss
Christian Center to
authorize Jordan
Development of Traverse City to oper-
ate an exploratory well on its property
at the northwest corner of Nine Mile
and Evergreen roads in Southfield. If
the well indicates significant oil, then
the church hopes to go into production
at that location.
The Department of Environmental
Quality Office of Oil, Gas and
Minerals has not yet ruled on Jordan
Development’s application.
The meeting began with presenta-
tions by DEQ professionals. Harold
Fitch, chief of the DEQ Office of Oil,
Gas and Minerals, stressed that the
department must follow laws in grant-
ing permits and does not have the

DW

Bath

Kitchen
8’7” x 8’1”

W/D

The McKinley Extra large two bedroom

New
design

Bedroom
11’11” x 20’11”

Living/Dining Area
14’0” x 22’8”

Bedroom
11’5” x 13’6”

Walk-In
Closet

Walk-In
Closet

Closet

Linen

DW

Closet

Bath

Bath

Kitchen
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Pantry

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W
D

Call 1-800-917-8169 for your free brochure
or to schedule a personal tour.

CITIZENS SPEAK
Then the public had the opportunity
to comment. People wanting to speak
submitted cards to Tracy Kecskemeti
of the DEQ, who then invited them to
the microphones in groups of five.
Some speakers inspired vehement
reactions from the audience. When the
audience reaction became too heated,
it took some effort for Mayor Siver to
restore order. He called Southfield a
family and characterized this disagree-
ment as “a family dispute, so we can
disagree politely.”
More than 100 people wanted to
speak, so even with a three-minute
limit for comments, this promised to
become a long evening.
Speakers fell into two groups. Some
speakers identified themselves as
members of the Word of Faith church.
They praised the good work that the
church does every day and predicted
that additional income could enable

11330693

Novi | 1-800-917-8169 | EricksonLiving.com

16 March 3 • 2016

discretion to deny a permit if the fil-
ing meets legal requirements. Fitch
stressed that the department has
both the responsibility to protect the
environment and public health and
the responsibility
to honor property
rights.
Before turning
the meeting over to
the general public,
Southfield Mayor
Ken Siver, U.S. Rep.
Brenda Lawrence
Southfield
Mayor Ken Siver and Moss each spoke
against granting the
permit to drill in a
residential area. Siver asked the DEQ
to honor the moratorium on drilling
enacted by the Southfield City Council.

2061660

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