Environmental Groups Applaud Bills To Update Michigan’s Bottle Deposit Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Tim Minotas

tim.minotas@sierraclub.org 

248-961-9610

Sean McBrearty

smcbrearty@cleanwater.org

616-516-7758

Environmental Groups Applaud Bills To Update Michigan’s Bottle Deposit Law

Lansing, MI -- Michigan’s two largest grassroots environmental advocacy organizations, Clean Water Action and Sierra Club, applaud Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo) and Rep. Christine Morse (D-Portage) for introducing bills to update and increase our state’s recycling and conservation priorities by expanding Michigan’s bottle deposit law to include other beverage containers like tea, water, sports drinks, and hard cider. The bills would also allow for universal redemption at large stores. Michigan’s bottle law has not been updated in over four decades and is one of the only states that does not allow universal redemption currently. 

Further provisions in the bills would create a bottle handling fund to reimburse distributors and dealers on a per-bottle-basis; make funding available for audits and fraud enforcement, and provide $25 million each year to further address Michigan’s thousands of orphaned toxic contamination sites that are polluting our land and water.

In response to the bill introduction, Sierra Club and Clean Water Action released the following statements:

“Michigan’s 10 cent bottle deposit law has been one of our most successful environmental policies when it comes to reducing litter and promoting the reuse of resources. However, we’ve failed to update our bottle deposit law to reflect the consumer trends we see today as most plastic beverages being consumed now are noncarbonated single-use plastic beverages which we can’t return for a deposit. These bills reflect those trends which will further reduce Michigan’s plastic pollution problem and help keep our state beautiful and healthy by providing much need funding to address legacy contamination throughout our state.” - Tim Minotas, Legislative and Political Coordinator of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter

“Michigan’s bottle deposit law has been tremendously successful. Updating it to include beverages that are consumed in far greater amounts today than they were 40 years ago is a common sense step that will increase recycling and further protect our Great Lakes from plastic pollution. Michigan’s bottle bill has retained wide public support, proving that this is just as much a non-partisan issue as it was when Michigan voters established the bottle deposit law over 40 years ago. We thank Senator McCann and Representative Morse for leading the way on this critical issue, and we call on all Michigan lawmakers to support these bills.” - Mary Brady-Enerson, Michigan Director, Clean Water Action

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Whitmer Signals Commitment to Building Michigan Back Better with Budget

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Tim Minotas

(248) 961-9610

tim.minotas@sierraclub.org

Whitmer Signals Commitment to Building Michigan Back Better with Budget

Lansing, MI - The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter today praised Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s 2022-2023  budget proposal,  which prioritizes funding for clean water, the health of our Great Lakes and communities, and moving Michigan forward on climate. With over $150 million from the General Fund to address climate change and Michigan’s water issues, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signaled to all Michigan residents that she is putting their health, and the health of our environment, first, while demonstrating the urgency of tackling these issues.

“Governor Whitmers budget is a reflection of the needs and priorities of the people of Michigan that will grow our economy and prepare our state for the future. Her commitment to investing in cleaning up legacy contamination, addressing the climate crisis, and upgrading our water infrastructure will not only help clean up our environment and protect public health, it will also spur job creation in Michigan,” said Tim Minotas, Legislative and Political Coordinator of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter. “We at the Sierra Club urge the State Legislature to set aside partisan politics and join Governor Whitmer in putting the people of Michigan first and building our state back better by supporting her budget.”

Among her budget priorities, Governor Whitmer has called for over $290 million for water infrastructure. The budget recommendations also prioritizes the health our citizens and environment by allocating $5 million for the Health and Safety Fund to help low income residents with weatherization upgrades, $55 million for the Filter First Program, which will protect Michigan school children from lead exposure via school drinking water, another $10 million to fund the Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund, which will help low-to-moderate income Michigan homeowners and landlords secure financing to reduce or eliminate residential lead hazards, and $20 million for environmental contamination response.

Furthermore, addressing climate change and investments in our workers is a major priority for this administration, as the Executive Budget calls for $25 million in investment for electric vehicle infrastructure and workers to ensure they are prepared for the jobs needed as the auto sector transitions to a clean future, $40 million for local high water and climate resilience projects, and $10 million for clean energy investments.

The Sierra Club is encouraged by this budget. Now is the time to create policies that plant the seeds of economy to sustain us over the long term -- one that will create tens of thousands of good, family-sustaining jobs with a focus on disadvantaged communities. This is a time to be decisive in saving lives, and 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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Sierra Club Applauds Efforts to Protect Great Lakes and Michigan Waterways from Dangerous Dock Collapses

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Justin Onwenu 

justin.onwenu@sierraclub.org 

313-405-5900

Christy McGillivray

Christy.mcgillivray@sierraclub.org 

808-726-5325‬

Sierra Club Applauds Efforts to Protect Great Lakes and Michigan Waterways from Dangerous Dock Collapses  

Lansing, MI -- In November 2019, a heavily contaminated piece of land operated by Detroit Bulk Storage, collapsed into the Detroit River. The incident sparked outrage and concern among Metro Detroit residents and Canadians who depend on the Detroit River as a vital drinking water source. Today, Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Beverly Hills), and Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) re-introduced legislation to prevent similar incidents from occurring. The Sierra Club applauds their leadership and urges Michigan legislators to support these crucial efforts.

Senate Bill 122 would ensure that statewide risk assessments are conducted and facilitate greater public access to data regarding contaminated properties along major waterways. “Seeing headlines about uranium in the Detroit River does not inspire confidence, says Nicholas Leonard, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center in Detroit, “We hope that this legislation will help local and state authorities take proactive steps to protect our waterways and we also hope it will give the public greater confidence and access to crucial information about contamination along our waterways.” 

Senate Bill 123 would require inspections of commercial and industrial docks. “Our Great Lakes and Michigan waterways are special. We depend on them for fishing, tourism, recreation and so much more,” says Christy McGillivray, Legislative and Political Director for the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter “As a state, we need to take extra precautions to ensure that facilities operating along our waterways do not pose a risk to our waterways.”

One week after contaminated land collapsed into the Detroit River in November 2019, the Windsor Star, a Canadian newspaper, was the first to notify Michiganders of the incident. Senate Bill 124 would strengthen emergency notification procedures by requiring notification should a similar spill occur. “The Detroit River incident revealed a clear breakdown in our emergency notification procedures,'' says Justin Onwenu, a Detroit based Environmental Justice Organizer for the Sierra Club. “Michigan authorities and the public have a right to know when our Great Lakes and drinking water sources are threatened.”

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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Sierra Club Dismayed by Toxic COVID-19 Relief Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

CONTACT:

Tim Minotas

tim.minotas@sierraclub.org

808-726-5325

Justin Onwenu 

justin.onwenu@sierraclub.org 

313-405-5900

Sierra Club Dismayed by Toxic COVID-19 Relief Package 

Lansing, MI -- Sierra Club is dismayed by the inclusion of last minute language that allows for the transport of hazardous and toxic material across the Ambassador Bridge to the vital COVID-19 relief bill (Senate Bill 748). 

The COVID-19 relief bill provides necessary support for Michiganders as the pandemic continues. Sierra Club’s Environmental Justice Organizer, Justin Onwenu, was frustrated as dirty politics played out in Lansing while so many Michiganders continue to struggle with both their health and finances. “The COVID-19 relief package is meant to help people as we fight to protect public health. By sneaking in this dangerous language, legislators are threatening the health of Michiganders and our Great Lakes drinking water. Special interest language that has absolutely nothing to do with COVID-19 relief should be taken out immediately,” said Onwenu. 

There are safe transportation alternatives already in use. Given the Ambassador Bridge’s lack of proper technology, inadequate level of inspections, poor safety protocols, old age and deterioration, a hazardous materials accident on the bridge could be catastrophic for Great Lakes drinking water, and nearby residential neighborhoods.  

 

If kept, the language snuck into the COVID relief bill would allow for “flammable gases,” “poisonous gases,” “spontaneously combustible materials,” “dangerous when wet materials,” “poisonous materials” and “corrosive materials” to be transported near the 3 schools, 2 public parks, Great Lakes drinking water source for millions, and densely populated Detroit neighborhoods that are all in close vicinity of the bridge.

 

Tim Minotas, Sierra Club’s Legislative and Political Coordinator, noted the efforts of environmental leaders to stop the inclusion of the hazardous transport language. “Leaders like State Senator Chang and State Representative Garza stood up to the special interests that snuck in this last minute provision. While we weren’t able to strip the threat to public health out of this bill, we will be working with lawmakers in Lansing to stop the transport of toxic and hazardous waste across the Ambassador Bridge in our next legislative session,” said Minotas. He continued, “to include a provision that threatens the lives of Michiganders in a bill that is supposed to save lives during a pandemic is unconscionable. We applaud leaders like Representative Garza, Senator Chang, and other lawmakers Representatives Hammoud and Aiyash and that fought to stop this.” 

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