Sierra Club Slams EGLE decision to Fast Track Dangerous Oil Tunnel

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Christy McGillivray

christy.mcgillivray@sierraclub.org

808-726-5325

Sierra Club Slams EGLE decision to Fast Track Dangerous Oil Tunnel  

Lansing, MI--Today, the Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) issued permits to Enbridge for their dangerous and poorly planned oil tunnel, siding with a multinational oil company that is responsible for the largest inland oil spill in our country’s history. 

“EGLE has abdicated its duty to protect our Great Lakes and sided with a Canadian oil company over the safety of the Great Lakes. Enbridge has an egregious safety record including responsibility for the 2010 oil spill on the Kalamazoo River and decades of violations that led Governor Whitmer to order a shut down of Line 5. Instead of supporting our Governor and Attorney General Nessel’s work to shut down line 5 safely, EGLE has allowed Enbridge to fast track these poorly planned and dangerous oil tunnel permits,” said Christy McGillivray, the Political and Legislative Director for the Michigan Chapter of Sierra Club. 

 The permits granted today are only part of the process that Enbridge needs to complete before construction of its disastrous oil tunnel can begin. Sierra Club will work closely with allies, including Governor Whitmer and Attorney General Nessel, to make sure that Line 5 is permanently shut down and we invest in clean renewable energy instead of poorly planned and outdated fossil fuel infrastructure.

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Sierra Club Response to Governor Whitmer's State of the State Address

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tim Minotas

tim.minotas@sierraclub.org

(248) 961-9610

Sierra Club on State of the State: Governor Whitmer all in on Building Michigan Back Better through clean energy and upgrading Michigan’s Water Infrastructure

Lansing, MI -- Today, Governor Gretchen delivered her third State of the State address, highlighting past accomplishments and announcing new initiatives to protect Michiganders and businesses from the public health and financial burdens of COVID-19. 

As part of her Michigan Back to Work plan, Governor Whitmer made upgrading our water infrastructure and clean energy jobs a focal point, calling on the Legislature to pass the MI Clean Water plan--a $500 million comprehensive water investment in Michigan's water infrastructure. Governor Whitmer’s initiatives will create over 7,500 jobs and clean up Michigan’s drinking water, as well as a jobs plan which will prioritize the skills needed for entry into registered apprenticeships in the clean energy sector and clean transportation sector to help drive Michigan’s energy transition.

In response to the governor’s speech, Sierra Club released the following statements:

“With our state’s economy reeling from the impacts of COVID-19, the MI Reconnect Program, Futures for Frontliners, and the Michigan Back to Work plan are crucial steps that will invest, train, and prepare our citizens, especially in disadvantaged communities for the clean energy and mobility jobs of the future. These steps will ensure Michigan continues its leadership in the automotive industry and pave the way into a clean energy and transportation future that is good for our climate, health, wallets, and workers. We are happy to hear tonight that Governor Whitmer shares this vision and understanding and we look forward to working with her and the State Legislature to jumpstarting these sectors and call on the Legislature to pass the Good Jobs For Michigan legislation, which will provide sustainable economic recovery and growth for the long term.” - Tim Minotas, Legislative and Political Coordinator for the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter 

“Investing in drinking and waste water infrastructure is exactly the kind of win-win policy that we need right now. Governor Whitmer’s prioritization of upgrading our drinking and waste water infrastructure will create thousands of jobs, improve water quality, and help protect public health by ensuring that more Michiganders have access to safe drinking water. Governor Whitmer needs strong partners in the State Legislature to match the scale of the solution to the scale of the problem. We look forward to working with the State Legislature in the coming session to get closer to reaching the 1 billion dollars a year that we need to properly invest in our drinking and wastewater systems as a state.” - Christy McGillivray, Legislative and Political Director for the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter 

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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.

Sierra Club Condemns Senate Leaders for Playing Politics with Public Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Christy McGillivray

christy.mcgillivray@sierraclub.org

808-726-5325

Sierra Club Condemns Senate Leaders for Playing Politics with Public Health 

Lansing, MI -- Sierra Club strongly condemns the Senate Republicans’ stunt to hold up Governor Whitmer’s appointments to the Natural Resources Commission and the Agriculture and Rural Development Commission in an effort to force the Governor’s hand in relaxing COVID-19 protections. 

“It is unconscionable that Senate Republicans continue to ignore the advice of medical professionals and epidemiologists in the middle of a global pandemic. Petty and dangerous stunts like this undermine Michiganders’ confidence in public health guidelines and they put more lives at risk,” said Christy McGillivray, the Political and Legislative Director for the Michigan Chapter of Sierra Club. 

The work of the Natural Resources Commission and the Agriculture and Rural Development Commission are not directly related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the work of these bodies is important to the environmental and economic health of our state. By standing in the way of the work of these commissions Senate Republicans are putting extreme partisanship ahead of a functioning state government. These antics place more stress on our fragile democracy in the wake of the mendacious and violent attacks that followed the Trump administration’s attempt to overturn a free and fair election.

It is time for all Michiganders to put extreme partisanship aside and work together for our shared goals of pandemic recovery and an economic recovery. Sierra Club calls on Senate Republicans to work with the Whitmer administration and public health experts to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, and to stop playing politics with basic public health protections. 

 

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