![[Photo of Russ Harding]](/media/images/people/harding-r.jpg)
Russ Harding
Senior Fellow in Environmental and Regulatory Policy
Russ Harding is the senior fellow in environmental and regulatory policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He previously served as senior environmental analyst and was director of the Center's Property Rights Network.
From 1995 through 2002, Harding served as director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, having previously held senior management posts in environmental and natural resources departments in Arizona, Alaska and Missouri. Before joining the Center, Harding was senior director for environment and energy affairs with Scofes, Kindsvatter & Associates, a consulting firm.
Tools
By Russ Harding
Garden Variety Bureaucracy
Detroit gardening permits a tough row to hoe. … more
Michigan Punches Rail Ticket
When will Michigan leaders learn that federal money is expensive and always comes with strings attached? … more
Regulatory Reform vs. Fluff
A ministry of silly legislation? … more
Trust Fund Baby
Time for the Natural Resources Trust Fund to pay its own way. … more
Government Action Could Lower Gas Prices
Federal government policies are partially responsible for the pain that Americans are feeling at the gas pump. … more
UN Treaty Would Give Rights to 'Mother Earth'
It's not just the silly ramblings of a Bolivian socialist leader — a pervasive environmental worldview pushes a religion, not stewardship. … more
Meridian Township Rules Against American Flag
The Stars and Stripes have been proudly flying over a Belle Tire store since its recent opening on Grand River Avenue in Meridian Township near Lansing. Not so fast, says the Meridian Township Zoning Board of Appeals, which ruled by a 5-0 vote that the flag must be taken down according to a report in the Lansing State Journal. … more
DEQ Fee Increases for 'Business as Usual'
The Department of Environmental Quality is requesting fee increases for air quality and solid waste permitting programs. The Legislature should not grant the agency’s request without requiring that the DEQ change the way it does business. … more
EPA Budget Cut
As budget details from the last-minute effort to keep the federal government operating are being released, it is clear that the Environmental Protection Agency is the big loser. … more
Budget Impasse Over EPA Worth Having
At the time of this writing it remains to be seen if the federal government will be subject to a partial shutdown due to budget wrangling in Congress. The difference in budget reduction dollar amounts has become almost meaningless as reductions in the $30 billion range are tiny compared to the trillions of dollars of red ink the federal government is piling up. … more
