Michigan Farm Bureau v. Department of Environmental Quality

Plaintiffs commenced this declaratory judgment action in the circuit court to challenge an administrative rule promulgated by defendant, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The circuit court determined that the challenged rule fell within the scope of the DEQ’s statutory rulemaking authority, that it was rationally related to the DEQ’s statutory mandate to protect Michigan’s waters from pollution, and that it was neither arbitrary nor capricious as a matter of law. The court accordingly granted summary disposition in favor of the DEQ and dismissed plaintiffs’ claims. Plaintiffs now…