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Clean Water Action's national campaigns work on Federal laws and policy. State offices campaign on the same issues locally. Get more information about our work in each state and around the country.

Discover the Issues

Spotlight

Two Big Blows: Bishop, Dillon Fail On Great Lakes Oil Drilling Ban As Another Gulf Oil Rig Explodes

Ballot Deadline Missed For Oil Drilling Ban

Lansing, MI - Two of the state's leading conservation and environmental organizations blasted Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop for blowing today's deadline to put a permanent ban on Great Lakes drilling onto the November ballot. The lawmakers' failure to make the ballot comes as another offshore oil rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Published On: 
09/02/2010 - 13:52
Related Articles
  • The Countdown Is On: Ban Drilling in the Great Lakes!
Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • water
  • Read more

2010 Michigan Election Endorsements

Turning Out the Environmental Vote in 2010

vote pin with stars and stripesClean Water Action builds grassroots strength in key states and communities to change politics and environmental policy in states, local communities and Washington, DC. We run muscular and effective grassroots campaigns to defeat anti-environment candidates, and support candidates who are committed to protecting our waters, our health, and our future. Our political program is non partisan.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • democracy
  • Read more

The Countdown Is On: Ban Drilling in the Great Lakes!

Countdown to Catastrophe

Will the legislature put a ban on drilling in the Great Lakes on the November ballot or will we risk more spills?

Oil spill in Kalamazoo River in Michigan, July 2010

July 28th, 2010 - photos of the Oil Disaster in Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties. Over 1,000,000+ gallons of crude oil flowed into Talmadge Creek and then into the Kalamazoo River, called the worst oil spill disaster in the Midwest.
Keep this from happening again in Michigan.  Sign our petition and urge your lawmakers to ban drilling in the Great Lakes.
Courtesy The Sierra Club Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0

The clock is ticking. Our state Legislature has until September 2 to put a ban on Great Lakes drilling on the November ballot so Michigan voters can choose to protect our waters - permanently. Every day Speaker of the House Andy Dillon and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop fail to allow a vote is a day we're closer to failing to permanently prevent a BP-style catastrophe for our waters. 

Our Countdown to Catastrophe will keep track of the days left for the Legislature to act to put a Great Lakes drilling ban on the November ballot. You can help by signing our petition to lawmakers urging them to meet the September 2 deadline for ballot measures.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • democracy
  • energy
  • environmental health
  • global warming
  • water
  • Read more
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Actions

Deny The Consumers Wetland Permit!

It seemed crystal clear. When Consumers Energy recently shelved plans for a dirty, unneeded coal plant that would have saddled ratepayers and shareholders with billions in costs, it appeared as though the utility giant was finally seeing clearly.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Consumers is seeing about as clearly as if the board were wearing mud-covered glasses. That's the only explanation possible for the decision to pursue permits to drain wetlands in a watershed that directly impacts Lake Huron near Bay City for the new, dirty, costly, and unneeded coal plant. A plant, remember, the utility said was put on hold indefinitely.

By weighing-in today, you can make sure the state officials making the decision on the wetlands permit don't have the same vision problems.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • democracy
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • water
  • Read more

Ask Your Legislators to Pass the Safe Cosmetics Act

Tell your legislators to support the Safe Cosmetics Act.

What are all those chemicals in your shampoo? Your lipstick? your aftershave? And what do they have to do with asthma, breast cancer and learning disabilities?

Learn, share and help change this toxic mess: Watch The Story of Cosmetics, a 8-minute film exposing the ugly truth about personal care products - brought to you by Clean Water Action, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff Project and Free Range Studios, and take action to help pass the Safe Cosmetics Act.

Tags:
  • California
  • Chesapeake
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • National
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Dakota
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • environmental health
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • toxics
  • water
  • Read more

Ban Drilling in the Great Lakes!

Pelicans soaked in oil sludge. Shrimp fisherman wondering aloud what they'll do to make a living now. Whole communities, dependent on tourism, now virtual ghost towns. The BP spill has ruined lives, destroyed jobs, and permanently damaged the Gulf waters to maximize its profits.

Now imagine it happened here.

If friends of dirty energy succeed in opening the Great Lakes to Big Oil, we could be next. It could be our $9 billion boating and $7 billion fishing industries washed away by a flood of tar balls. The Great Lakes are what so many of us love about living in Michigan - and they're also the lifeblood of our economy.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • environmental health
  • global warming
  • Petition
  • toxics
  • water
  • Read more

More Michigan jobs or more dirty coal?

Michigan is already employing tens of thousands of workers in good-paying, clean energy jobs like manufacturing windmills, solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and advanced batteries. Even though more investments in clean energy will continue to put tens of thousands of Michiganders back to work all across the state, Holland Board of Public Works is still moving forward with their proposal for an expansion of a dirty coal plant that will bring only a handful of jobs to the state. Tell them this is not the right direction for Michigan!

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • democracy
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Read more

Help Protect Our Water Resources

Tell your State Representative and Senator to support strong protections for our groundwater - just like the protection we give our lakes, rivers, and streams. Without new legislation, our groundwater - which feeds our rivers, lakes and streams - is left unprotected to withdrawals from corporations who want to pump our water and ship it to the far corners of the globe.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • democracy
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • water
  • Read more

Support Wind Power in Michigan!

 Offshore wind turbine, photo by phault, licensed via creative commons

Show your support for wind power in Michigan today!

photo by phault / CC BY 2.0

The Great Lakes Offshore Wind (GLOW) Council has recently announced its proposed policy recommendations and we need to make sure they hear the message loud and clear that Michigan supports wind power!  

Clean Water Action has been working hard to increase the state's investment in wind power, educating lawmakers on the need to grow renewable energy standards and provide incentives for small wind development that promote job growth in Michigan. 

Related Articles
  • Wind Power - Right for Michigan
  • ReEnergize Michigan With Energy Efficiency
Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Read more

ReEnergize Michigan With Energy Efficiency

Hardhat and lunch pail

Help move Michigan to a clean energy future.

Michigan needs to move into a clean energy future that will create jobs, protect our environment and lower energy costs. The smartest way to do that? Energy efficiency!

A recent report released by the Midwest Energy Efficiency Association found that doubling Michigan's energy efficiency standard would save consumers over $22 billion by 2019. And if saving money isn't reason enough, the increased standard would create up to 7,600 jobs in Michigan!

Take Action: Help increase our energy efficiency standard!

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Read more

Governor Granholm: Please Reduce Dangerous Diesel Pollution

Yellow trucks in snowy setting, photo courtesy iStockphoto.com

Ask Gov. Granholm to reduce diesel emissions pollution.

Diesel pollution is bad for our health! Pollution from diesel vehicles like buses and trucks will cause an estimated 443 premature deaths in Michigan in 2010, as well as 648 non-fatal heart attacks, 15,004 asthma attacks, and 57,561 lost work days. Our children are particularly at risk.

Recently, Gov. Jennifer Granholm took a big first step toward cleaner air and healthier families in Michigan when she signed an Executive Directive calling for idling limitations for state vehicles.

While we applaud the governor for her efforts, we need help to make even bigger strides to protect our health and our environment, and create good-paying jobs in Michigan.

Sign our petition calling on Gov. Granholm to take another step forward for Michigan families.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • environmental health
  • Petition
  • toxics
  • Read more

Shut out the carp, shut the locks!

Big head carp, a variety of Asian carp

Stop the Asian Carp Invasion! Tell the President, the EPA, and the Army Corp of Engineers that the Great Lakes are too precious to be turned over to this invasive species.

Over the past few months, you've joined us in calling for swift action to stop the Asian carp invasion of our Great Lakes. We're down to the wire now, and we need to shut down the locks linking the Chicago river - where we know there are carp - and our precious Great Lakes via Lake Michigan. Earlier this week, Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm joined in a summit at the White House to discuss the threat with Obama administration officials and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

During the summit, representatives from Obama's administration said that the locks would be closed-but only at certain times! What's to stop the carp from swimming through any time the locks are open?

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • environmental health
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • water
  • Read more

Revving Michigan's Engine

Chevy Volt, photo by citizenofthedeep, licensed under creative commons 2.0

Now is the time to get Michigan's economy going! Ask your State Representative ReEnergize Michigan

photo by citizenofthedeep
licensed under Creative Commons 2.0

Just recently, the very first battery pack for the Michigan-made Chevy Volt rolled off the line at GM's new Brownstown Assembly Plant, signaling another giant leap forward for Michigan's clean energy economy.

General Motors is making major investments all over the state as the car maker prepares to ramp up production of the hybrid electric Volt, revving up our economy and speeding along the path to a cleaner, greener Michigan.

As part of that green revolution, we're working hard to re-energize Michigan by reducing fuel emissions that cause global warming and health problems, and sending a signal that here in Michigan, we are committed to leading the world in advanced battery technology. Now it's time for our lawmakers to join in by supporting a fuel emissions reduction and the entire ReEnergize Michigan! legislative package.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Read more

Diesel Pollution: Threatening Health, Jobs in Michigan

Diesel truck with black smoke, courtesey WikiCommons

E-mail your representative in Michigan's House today to ask for legislation that will reduce diesel pollution.

Anyone whose ever been stuck behind a dump truck knows the black exhaust pouring out of diesel-powered vehicles is unpleasant, to say the least. What they, and you, might not know is what's in the exhaust and how it affects us. The black exhaust pouring out of diesel vehicles chips away at our health, putting Michiganders at an increased risk of heart attacks, lung cancer, and asthma. Diesel pollution is a silent killer.

In Michigan alone, it is annually estimated to cause the early deaths of 443 people, more than 15,000 asthma attacks, 648 non-fatal heart attacks, and over 57,000 lost work days. Further, diesel emissions have been shown to have 7 times the lifetime cancer risk than that posed by all the other 181 hazardous air pollutants combined.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Read more

Write a letter to the editor to support clean energy!

LTE Tips
  • Include contact information - Be sure to add a phone number where you can be easily reached, as most papers will call to ask permission to publish.
  • Be brief - State your position as clearly without unnecessary detail. Keep your paragraphs short. Make one point and stick to it.
  • Be conversational, yet professional - Use your own voice, your own style, but remember, opinions are best received when expressed with tact and composure.
  • Adding Details - Feel free to use reports or studies to support your views, but avoid bogging people down in technical information. These days, people can always search online tools for more information.
  • Find a local angle - Can you link your LTE to recent happenings or decisions in your community? Localizing your perspective on this important issue will help get your letter published!
  • Submit again! - Papers are busy places, so resubmitting your letter or continuing to share your perspective will help you get noticed.

As our lawmakers decide how to vote on clean energy legislation, they face pressure from the special interest lobbies of dirty coal and big oil to maintain the status quo. During these times, congressional staffers report what the public is saying--both what they hear directly, and what is said through local newspapers.

That is why we are calling on you - a clean energy and climate policy supporter - to write your local newspaper to urge passage of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act that is currently in the Senate.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Read more

Thank Kent County Commissioners for their leadership on water pollution

Sewage_overflowSince 2002, we have known that one million gallons of untreated waste leak daily from failing septic systems in Kent County. Our community has spoken out loud and clear against this pollution. Now, we are delighted to announce that County Commissioners Brandon Dillon and Sandi Parrish have recently committed to moving forward this year to solve this threat to our water and our health.

Take a moment to thank Commissioners Dillon and Parrish for their leadership.They need to know they have your strong support in moving forward.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • environmental health
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • water
  • Login or register to post comments

Support Michigan and the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act

Repower, Rebuild America with a Clean Energy economy

Clean energy jobs are essential to Michigan's future.
Tell Sen. Levin and Sen. Stabenow to help pass climate change legislation now

You can't delay progress

We're moving Michigan forward every day, bearing down on our goal: a clean energy future for Michigan, 54,000 clean energy jobs for hard-working Michigan families, and a giant leap forward for the entire nation.

Prominent conservative Republicans are jumping on board. Already Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Lisa Murkowski have said they're ready to be flexible and consider the clean energy jobs legislation, but their far-right counterparts are trying to stall our progress and delay a vote.

Your commitment to contacting Sen. Levin and Sen. Stabenow and bringing your friends and family on board is paying off. We're marching down the field toward our goal, and nothing - not even the Republicans latest attempt to delay - is going to stop us.

Take action today!

Won't you join us in sending an e-mail a week to Senators Stabenow and Levin to keep the pressure on until they pass the energy bills?

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • water
  • Login or register to post comments
  • Read more

Thank Gov. Granholm for her leadership in the fight to stop the Michigan coal rush!

Victory: Governor's leadership triggers huge win in the fight to stop the Michigan coal rush!

Governor Granholm started Michigan on the course toward a clean energy future in February when she announced a requirement that prior to building new coal plants there must be a proven need for the new power as well as a study of other potential sources of energy. Please take a minute to thank Governor Granholm for requiring utilities to prove the need for new power and to review alternatives to coal plants.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Login or register to post comments
  • Read more

ReEnergize Michigan with Clean Michigan Energy and Good Michigan Jobs!

ReEnergize Michigan LogoMichigan is currently at a crossroads to secure our economic and energy future. Bold, immediate leadership is required to bring new industries to Michigan - including clean, alternative energy sources like advanced batteries, wind, energy efficiency and solar power - before other states position themselves as the leaders and draw investment in these emerging industries. By acting now, we can make Michigan a leader and make clean energy the profitable kind of energy.

Related Articles
  • Time to ReEnergize Michigan!
Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
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  • Read more

Help stop the dumping of Canadian and out-of-state trash in Michigan

Canada and other states continue to flood Michigan with their garbage because it's dirt cheap to dump here. In 2005, 6.2 million tons of Canadian and out-of-state trash were dumped in Michigan!

That's 100,000 tons more than in 2004. Nearly one-third of all the garbage in our landfills comes from outside Michigan and it comes here for two simple reasons:

  • We're the cheapest dumping ground in the region; and
  • We have too much landfill space.

You can help fight the trashing of our beautiful state! Write your State Senator and Representative today and urge them to stop the flood of trash into Michigan.

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • environmental health
  • Letter to a Decision Maker
  • Login or register to post comments

Get Local - Join 1Sky Michigan Today

To beat back global warming, we need to summon a new natural resource — real political will.  Help raise the voices of Great Lakes residents on federal climate change legislation!

Sign up to be a Climate Precinct Captain with 1Sky and Clean Water Action today!        

1Sky logoJoin Clean Water Action & 1Sky Michigan to send a clear message to our leaders that America wants bold action on climate change. Tell them to support solutions for a better future for the Great Lakes State and the rest of the nation!

 

Tags:
  • Michigan
  • energy
  • global warming
  • Petition
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Campaign Strategies

Great Lakes, Great Michigan

  • Great Lakes, Great Michigan

    Michigan's waters are our most prized asset and we must do all we can to ensure they are public resources not private investments for international corporations.

1SKy

  • 1SKy

    1Sky was created to focus the power of millions of concerned Americans on a single goal: bold federal action by 2010 to reverse global warming based on a simple set of solutions. We're creating a movement that our leaders can't ignore!

Children's Environmental Health

  • Children's Environmental Health

    Protecting children from pharmaceutical lindane, working to ban the flame retardant, deca-BDE, working to promote alternatives to PBDEs, flame-retardants that are rapidly accumulating in our bodies and the Great Lakes, have been found to be toxic to animals and may threaten our own health are all part of our Children's Environmental Health Campaign

Clean Kent County

  • Clean Kent County

    Approximately 1 million gallons of untreated waste is discharged from Kent County's failing septic systems every day. While there are a variety of reasons why residents don't properly maintain their septic systems there is one resounding reason why we should: untreated waste doesn't obey property boundaries!

Michigan's Clean Energy Future

  • Michigan's Clean Energy Future

    Taking the Next Steps Toward Michigan's Clean Energy Future

    On September 18th, Michigan’s legislature passed an energy package that makes slight headway down the path to bringing clean, renewable energy to the state. Now that the first step has been taken, Clean Water Action will keep pressure on decision-makers to strengthen Michigan’s energy policy to make us a national leader in renewable energy manufacturing. Together, we can make sure that the momentum is not slowed in the wake of the energy package’s passage.

Fixing Michigan's Diesel Problem

  • Fixing Michigan's Diesel Problem

    Diesel engines are the workhorses of our economy, found in everything from ships and trains to school and city buses, construction and agricultural vehicles, long-haul trucks and many other vehicles that keep our economy humming. However, the black exhaust that pours out of diesel vehicles is a silent killer, contributing to 21,000 early deaths in the United States each year.

Time to ReEnergize Michigan!

  • Time to ReEnergize Michigan!

    ReEnergize Michigan Logo
    That's what a large statewide coalition of businesses, communities,faith-based groups, environmental organizations, labor unions, everyday working families and your neighbors are working together to accomplish today.

    Michigan is at a crossroads and the time for positive change is now.

    That's why we're coming together: to ReEnergize Michigan!, with more renewable energy, more energy efficiency - and more clean energy jobs.

Water Rights Campaign: Putting Michigan First!

  • Water Rights Campaign: Putting Michigan First!

    Although Michigan's lakes, rivers and streams still have some protections against damaging water exports, court decisions trigged by lawsuits from international water companies have eroded our rights to control what happens to our groundwater, the lifeblood of the entire Great Lakes system.

    That's why Clean Water Action is working to put stronger water rights protections into Michigan's water laws. It's the only way we can protect the water underneath us in the same way we protect our lakes, rivers and streams.

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