Turning Out the Environmental Vote in 2010

Clean 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.

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?

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.

Dillon, Mayes Top List of Worst Lawmakers

Clean Water Action has released scorecard ratings of Michigan state House legislators on environmental issues and for the first time two Democratic leaders head the list of Worst Lawmakers.

State House Speaker Andy Dillon and fellow Democrat Jeff Mayes, chair of the House energy committee, were given low marks for their leadership failures on key environmental and jobs-related issues in Clean Water Action's 2009-2010 Legislative Scorecard.

What do water rights mean to you? Some common questions and and answers.

Does water rights legislation mean more taxes?

No, absolutely not. The goal of Clean Water Action's water rights campaign is to make sure that your rights to plentiful groundwater are protected-so wells won't run dry and lake and stream levels stay healthy.  Taxes aren't mentioned or intended in the proposed laws.

Why is Clean Water Action calling for a permanent ban to drilling in the Great Lakes?

Call it relief for hard-pressed Michigan electric ratepayers and a giant step forward for clean energy jobs. A campaign that began three years ago to defeat dirty, unneeded coal plants proposed for Holland, Rogers City, and Bay City took a victory lap in recent weeks when all three coal plant proposals suffered defeats.

Diesel Pollution Makes Us Sick

Diesel engines emit a mixture of particles, metals and gasses including over 40 "hazardous air pollutants" as classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act. Diesel pollution can trigger asthma and cause lung cancer, stroke, and heart attack, contributing to 21,000 early deaths a year. Nationally, diesel exhaust poses a cancer risk that is 7 times greater than the combined risk of all air toxics assessed by EPA. Diesel exhaust is particularly dangerous because it is emitted at ground level - just where people breathe it in¹ .

Find an event in Florida, New Jersey, or where you live.

It's clear from the disaster in the Gulf that oil is risky, dirty, and dangerous.

Join Clean Water Action members and supporters in Florida on Saturday, June 26th for a national day of action to help clean up America's energy and to call on President Obama to move us off oil.

Find a Hand Across the Sand event in Florida, New Jersey, or in other parts of the U.S. or around the world.

For local organizing or attendance information in Florida, please contact Kathy Aterno.