Southfield Gets Temporary Restraining Order against Drilling

Southfield Gets Temporary Restraining Order against Drilling
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 12, 2016)
Southfield, MI – Judge Michael Warren of the Oakland County Circuit Court has signed a temporary restraining order preventing Jordan Development “from commencing any activities or operations in connection with the MDEQ permit allowing drilling on the Word of Faith site.”
Word of Faith, under the leadership of former Detroit City Councilperson Keith Butler, has entered into an agreement with Jordan Development Company to place a well on the 110-acre church property. The proposed well would drill straight down 2,900 feet in hopes of reaching oil that may be in the layers of rock below. In spite of strong opposition and a moratorium placed by the city on drilling, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approved the drilling permit.
“This permit application was reviewed thoroughly to ensure all legal requirements were met and proper consideration was given due to the close proximity of surrounding houses,” said Hal Fitch, Chief of the DEQ’s Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals. “We extended our review period and reached out to the community because we wanted to look closely at this permit request. We were able to share information and offer additional time for the public to provide comment, and for the DEQ to evaluate those comments as they pertained to the statutory permitting requirements. Once we reviewed all the public comments, it was determined the application met all statutory and legal requirements, and as such, the DEQ was obligated to issue the permit with conditions.”
The TRO will remain in effect until a hearing which has been scheduled by the Court for Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. in Judge Warren’s court, Oakland County Circuit Court.
According to a statement from the City of Southfield “At that time, the City will be advancing its position that a preliminary injunction should be issued in this matter, enjoining any drilling activities or operations at the Word of Faith site.”
The statement also said “The city of Southfield strongly opposes Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s (MDEQ) decision to grant Jordan Development’s permit request to drill.  The city of Southfield currently has a moratorium in effect through April 28, 2016 that expressly prohibits oil drilling or mining in the City. The Planning and Legal Departments are currently preparing a new Zoning Ordinance that is anticipated to be in place before the Moratorium expires in April.”
Previous stories:
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2016/03/08/deq-approves-drilling-permit-at-word-of-faith-in-southfield/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2016/01/28/second-southfield-drilling-forum-scheduled-due-to-massive-turnout/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2016/01/17/protesters-urge-word-of-faith-church-not-to-drill-in-southfield-video/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/12/30/southfield-opposes-drilling-permit/
Other documents/info:
Southfield (WOF) Signed TRO Order (PDF)

Southfield (WOF) ExParte Motion Temporary Restraining Order (PDF)

Southfield (WOF) Grobbel Affidavit (PDF)
Southfield (WOF) Motion Injunctive Relief (PDF)
Southfield (WOF) Summons Complaint (PDF)

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