In a letter to Congress, Whitmer said there isn’t a, “reliable or well-tailored tool for federal relief for businesses devastated by unseasonably warm winters.”
Nick Nerbonne is with Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation:
“Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, which have a lot of groomed snowmobile trails that draw a lot of visitors to come ride those trails, cross country skiing, those types of activity that depend on natural snow, the businesses in those regions were definitely impacted probably a little more so than those downstate that don't have as much of that outdoor recreation dependent on natural snow.”
Many businesses in northern Michigan and the UP can apply for economic relief because their counties are already under drought declarations.
But other parts of the state can’t tap into those funds. And Whitmer says that with warm winters expected to continue, businesses need better access to federal assistance.
