Residents press Dickinson Township to act on FPR spreading; board names members to Environmental Advisory Council

Residents at the Feb. 4 meeting urged the Dickinson Township Board to pursue additional action on FPRs (the minutes refer to "FPRs") being spread on frozen ground and to push state lawmakers for change. The board also adopted a resolution creating membership for an Environmental Advisory Council that will investigate environmental concerns.

Peggy Bower told the board she is concerned about FPR spreading in the township and asked what next steps residents should take. Vice Chairperson Jennifer DeGaetano advised residents to document incidents — dates, times, weather conditions and other details — report them to the township and, if appropriate, to the state Department of Environmental Protection. DeGaetano also suggested contacting state legislators, including Senator Rothman, and the media to raise attention.

Supervisor Robert Line moved to adopt Resolution 2026‑07 appointing Nathan Merkel, Jen (Jennifer) DeGaetano and Jared Abell to the Environmental Advisory Council; the motion was seconded by Chairman Rob Kole and passed unanimously. Jared Abell, present at the meeting, said he looked forward to working with the council and noted addressing FPRs will be a priority.

Board members said the council will help frame next steps and that residents’ detailed incident reports will be useful for advocating with state officials. The board’s action on the EAC and staff outreach do not themselves change state law; supervisors emphasized they will support residents gathering documentation to share with legislators and regulators.