State of the Great Lakes: Sierra Club encourages bold action from Governor Whitmer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, January 29th, 2020

State of the Great Lakes: Sierra Club encourages bold action from Governor Whitmer

Media Contact:   

Christy McGillivray: 808-726-5325, christy.mcgillivray@sierraclub.org 

Sierra Club applauds Governor Whitmer’s efforts to hold polluters financially accountable for their toxic waste, remove PFAS from our drinking water, appoint an Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and elevate climate concerns across her administration. 

However, Sierra Club was disappointed that the Governor passed on the opportunity during her State of the State to urge action on the many pressing environmental issues plaguing our Great Lakes State. They look forward to working with her on her commitment to elevate climate change and water issues in the coming weeks. The 150,000 Sierra Club members and supporters in Michigan stand ready to partner with the governor and anyone else who prioritizes the health of our communities and protecting the Great Lakes.   

“We are pleased that the Governor has taken some concrete steps to restore Great Lakes protections,” said Christy McGillivray, Sierra Club Political and Legislative Director. “Our members--all Michiganders--want a governor who prioritizes the Great Lakes, and we look forward to seeing Gov. Whitmer establish herself as the Great Lakes protector that we know she plans to be.” 

McGillivray said one of the biggest environmental challenges Michigan faces is opposition from Republican leaders in Lansing. “Senator Shirkey and Representative Chatfield are stonewalling efforts to clean up our drinking water,” she said. “The financial backing their caucus receives from polluters stands in the way of any real movement to address chronic impairment of our air, water, and communities. Michiganders deserve better from state government.” 

The Governor’s State of the State address was mostly silent on the Great Lakes and climate change, with Whitmer promising action at some point in the near future. Justin Onwenu, Sierra Club's Environmental Justice Organizer based in Detroit, was hoping to hear more from the Governor’s State of the State on issues of climate justice: 

“The heavy public health burden placed on communities in Detroit, where Michigan’s only oil refinery operates, is one of the most visible impacts on pollution from oil, coal and other fossil fuels that impact vulnerable communities throughout Michigan,” said Onwenu. “It’s time for Governor Whitmer to use her executive authority to decommission Enbridge Line 5. Enbridge is responsible for the worst inland oil spill in our nation’s history, and they consistently shirk responsibility for their terrible safety record. Line 5 is a clear and present danger to environmental justice communities throughout the state, it poses an imminent threat to the Great Lakes and to the workers and communities in northern Michigan and the UP who depend on the Great Lakes for their jobs, their drinking water and their blue economy.” 

##

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 4 million members and supporters nationwide and over 150,000 in Michigan. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/Michigan.

-- 

*Due to an extremely high volume of email--please text or call me at 808-726-5325 if you have not received a timely response. 

Christy McGillivray Political and Legislative Director Michigan Chapter She/Her Cell: 808-726-5325 https://www.sierraclub.org/michigan Facebook: @SierraClubMichigan Twitter: @MichiganSierra Instagram: @SierraClubMichigan

I&M Rate Case Settlement Marks Blow to Coal and Gains for Clean Energy

January 23, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

• Hilary Lewis, Communications Director, Vote Solar, hilary@votesolar.org, 202-455-0361
• Paul Dailing, Media Relations Specialist, Environmental Law & Policy Center, pdailing@elpc.org, 312-771-1979
• Jen Bristol, Director of Communications, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), jbristol@seia.org, 202-556-2886
• Mike Berkowitz, Michigan Beyond Coal Campaign Representative, Sierra Club, mike.berkowitz@sierraclub.org, 248-345-9808

I&M Rate Case Settlement Marks Blow to Coal and Gains for Clean Energy

Utility’s original plan would have bolstered super polluting Rockport coal plant and “essentially killed” solar market in Michiana

Lansing, MI - The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on Thursday approved an all-party settlement in a rate case for the Indiana Michigan Power Company, which serves more than 129,000 customers in southwestern Michigan and the Michiana area.

I&M, a subsidiary of utility giant AEP, filed its request for a rate increase in June. The Environmental Law & Policy Center, Vote Solar, the Ecology Center, the Sierra Club and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) intervened.

The groups negotiated a settlement that cut the utility’s original annual revenue increase request by $22.1 million dollars, from $58.5 million to $36.4 million, saving money for I&M customers across southwestern Michigan.

The utility’s original plan would have greatly reduced the credit paid to customers who sell electricity from solar panels or wind turbines back to the grid, which would have “essentially killed” the solar market in southwest Michigan, said Environmental Law & Policy Center Staff Attorney Nikhil Vijaykar.

Over three months of negotiations, the environmental groups fought off those changes to the distributed generation tariff. They also successfully countered several of the utilities’ rate design proposals that would have hiked fixed charges on customers’ bills, hurting customers’ ability to implement and benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy. They also secured a requirement that I&M seek approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission before extending their lease at Rockport coal-burning unit 2, which is one of 22 super polluters in the United States.

“This settlement is a victory on two fronts,” Vijaykar said. “First, we won a reasonable interim rate for distributed generation customers, and kept Michigan moving towards a fair, value-based rate for solar. Second, we kept Indiana Michigan Power’s original regressive rate design proposals out of the picture.”

"Sierra Club applauds the Public Service Commission's approval of this settlement which requires I&M to get permission before extending its money-losing lease with the super polluter Rockport coal-burning plant in Indiana. This decreases the likelihood that I&M will extend its commitment to the massive Rockport unit 2, and instead create an opportunity for Michiganders to demand cleaner and less expensive energy." said Mike Berkowitz, Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign Representative for Michigan.

“This is about fair rates and the freedom to choose where your energy comes from. Providing fair value for the local, clean energy hardworking Michigan families and businesses produce is essential to achieving our clean energy goals and ensuring customers can go solar if they so choose,” said Will Kenworthy, Midwest Regulatory Director for Vote Solar.

“We’re grateful that the Michigan Public Service Commission saw the I&M proposal for what it was, a backwards attempt to distort energy prices and lowball the value of solar in Indiana and Michigan.This decision is a win for energy consumers and will help to improve customer choice, grow local solar markets and create jobs that can’t be outsourced,” said Nakhia Morrissette, central region director and counsel at SEIA.

The new rates will go into effect Feb. 1. They will not affect I&M customers in Indiana.

###

The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s leading public interest environmental legal advocacy organization. We develop strategic campaigns to protect natural resources and improve environmental quality across the region. Our multidisciplinary staff employs teamwork approaches using legal, economic, and public policy tools to produce successes that improve our environment and economy. For more information, visit elpc.org.

Vote Solar’s mission is to make solar a mainstream energy resource across the U.S. Since 2002, Vote Solar has been working to lower solar costs and expand solar access. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Vote Solar advocates for state policies and programs needed to repower our electric grid with clean energy. Vote Solar works to remove regulatory barriers and implement key policies needed to bring solar to scale. For more information, visit​VoteSolar.org.

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters nationwide. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org.

Celebrating its 46th anniversary in 2020, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, which now employs more than 242,000 Americans. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to build jobs and diversity, champion the use of cost-competitive solar in America, remove market barriers and educate the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.

Detroit’s most vulnerable residents face inequalities like toxic air, lead poisoning, and water shutoffs. Now they’re fighting back

The blackest city in the US is facing an environmental justice nightmare

Detroit’s most vulnerable residents face inequalities like toxic air, lead poisoning, and water shutoffs. Now they’re fighting back.

Read more ...

Struggling to breathe in 48217, Michigan’s most toxic ZIP code

This is the first in a series of stories exploring environmental racism in Michigan.

Carmen Garrison avoids the outdoors because she's certain the air is poisoning her.

As a kid, she often threw up and had a headache after walking to school in southwest Detroit. More than three decades later, her eyes burn, her throat hurts, and her nose runs if she takes even a short stroll down the road.

Read more ...

Michigan Chapter Update - 1.5.20 - Honor Dana Nessel as Sierra Club Environmentalist of the Year, on Jan. 21 in Lansing