Leading Environmental Organizations Endorse Dana Nessel for Attorney General of Michigan

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2022

CONTACT: Sean McBrearty, Clean Water Action, 616-516-7758

                   Christy McGillivray, Sierra Club, 808-726-5325

Leading Environmental Organizations Endorse Dana Nessel for Attorney General of Michigan

LANSING- Today, Clean Water Action  and Sierra Club Michigan Chapter announced their endorsement of Dana Nessel for Attorney General of Michigan.

“For the past four years, Attorney General Nessel has been a consistent and tenacious champion fighting to protect our environment and hold polluters accountable," said Mary Brady-Enerson, Clean Water Action Michigan Director. “From Enbridge Energy to 3M and Wolverine Worldwide, she has taken on some of the biggest polluters and most powerful industries in the world and has won important victories on behalf of Michigan residents and our Great Lakes.”

In her first term, Attorney General Nessel broke from the actions of most of her predecessors by intervening on behalf of ratepayers in multiple Michigan Public Service Commission cases. Her actions helped save Michigan families and other ratepayers over $200 million. She has also participated in multiple state and federal actions to protect our water resources and hold corporate polluters accountable. Notably, AG Nessel’s advocacy resulted in a $245 million settlement with NCR Corp. to cleanup their superfund site on the Kalamazoo River, and a $69.5 million settlement with Wolverine Worldwide to provide drinking water to families facing PFAS contamination in Kent County. 

 “From day one we have been able to count on Attorney General Nessel to fight for our environment and public health. She takes on tough and important cases, like the fight to shut down Line 5 - issues which less visionary elected officials would refuse to touch. We trust that she will continue to be a fighter for Michigan residents and the Great Lakes,” said Christy McGillivray, Political and Legislative Director for Sierra Club Michigan Chapter. “We are proud to endorse her campaign and look forward to continuing to work with her in her second term.”

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Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. Clean Water Action has over 135,000 members across the state. Through direct advocacy and education we organize Michigan residents to protect the Great Lakes and our water resources. Learn more at www.cleanwateraction.org/mi

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 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

Whitmer Commits to Michigan’s Future

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Tim Minotas

(248) 961-9610

tim.minotas@sierraclub.org

Whitmer Commits to Michigan’s Future 

Lansing, MI - The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter today praised Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s 2023 budget proposal, which prioritizes funding for clean water, the health of our Great Lakes and communities, and moving Michigan forward on climate. Governor Whitmer is putting our health and the urgency of tackling climate change first with over $4 billion requested for water, electric vehicles, energy, just transition, jobs, public lands, and contaminated site cleanup.

“Governor Whitmer’s budget reflects the needs and priorities of the people of Michigan Her commitment to investing in Michigan’s electric vehicle and clean transportation future, cleaning up legacy contamination,  addressing the climate crisis, upgrading our water infrastructure, and protecting our children from lead and other toxic chemicals will help clean up our environment and protect public health, and  will also spur job creation in Michigan,” said Tim Minotas, Legislative and Political Coordinator of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter. “Sierra Club urges the State Legislature to join Governor Whitmer in putting the people of Michigan first and building our state back better by supporting her budget.”

Now is the time to make even more ambitious investments with a budget surplus, and more federal money coming to the state to advance clean energy jobs, resiliency, and a sustainable economy that benefits all Michiganders by creating jobs, as well as securing workers rights and livelihoods that are impacted by a transition to clean energy. This is the time to be bold in charting a path to a genuinely healthier and more equitable future for all Michigan residents. We look forward to working with the Governor and Legislature in achieving this.

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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters, 150,000 of which are 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.