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

Sierra Club Condemns Donald Trumps Statements Regarding Late Congressman Dingell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, December 20, 2019

Sierra Club Condemns Donald Trumps Statements Regarding Late Congressman Dingell

Media Contacts:   

Christy McGillivray: 808-726-5325 

Tim Minotas: 248-961-9610

“The Sierra Club condemns in the strongest possible terms Donald Trump’s statements regarding the late congressman, John Dingell. His statements were dishonorable and unbecoming of the President of the United States. Congressman Dingell was a veteran and proudly served Michiganders in Congress for over-half a century. Congressman Dingell left a remarkable legacy -- our air, land, water, and environmental protections are stronger thanks to him. The Sierra Club’s thoughts are with Congresswoman Dingell during this tough time. - Christy McGillivray, Legislative and Political Director of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter

##

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.

Reject DTE's Long-Term Energy Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 19, 2019

Contact: Rachel Perkins, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, (517) 333-1606

Recommendation looms for DTE Energy plan that advocates and the public have called to reject

LANSING - Advocates from across Michigan have been calling on the Michigan Public Service Commission to reject DTE Energy’s long-term energy plan as the the case surrounding the plan comes to a close. On Friday, the judge overseeing the case will share her reading of the case and propose a recommendation to the Michigan Public Service Commission, which will give the final ruling early next year.

To date, more than 3,300 Michigan residents have submitted public comments and over 150 people attended the public hearing in June, the vast majority urging the Commission to reject DTE’s plan. Comments can be viewed on the MPSC website.

In addition, various health, environmental, conservation and clean energy advocates have also worked to raise awareness of the shortcomings of DTE’s plan and mobilized customers to make their voices heard. View the relevant blog posts, op-eds and other resources.

The following are statements from environmental, conservation, consumer and community organizations ahead of the MPSC’s decision:

“DTE gave solar and wind power, battery storage, energy efficiency and demand response a passing nod, then went ahead and submitted a proposal dependent on dirty coal, outdated technology and old ways of thinking,” said Margrethe Kearney, Michigan Senior Attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “Other utilities have plans that will send Michigan toward a clean energy future. DTE’s plan threatens to send us backward.”

“DTE’s long range energy plan was riddled with flaws and failed to fully embrace the promise of affordable, clean and renewable energy for Michigan’s residents,” said Charlotte Jameson, Program Director for Legislative Affairs and Energy Policy for Michigan Environmental Council. “The Commission should reject DTE’s IRP and ensure the company comes back to the table with a plan that doesn’t undersell energy waste reduction and renewable energy nor unnecessarily extend the life of expensive, polluting coal plants.” 

“In 2019, we experienced two climate disasters, the toxic release from Marathon during the polar vortex and the collapse of a uranium contaminated site due to rising lake levels. Michigan deserves a plan to ensure safe and healthy energy in an age of climate crisis and DTE failed to provide that,” said Michelle Martinez, statewide coordinator for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition. “We need a bold energy plan not only for black and brown communities on the frontlines, but for all people struggling with rising rates and rising waters.”

“DTE’s energy plan will not lower our energy bills, because it does not do enough to boost clean and efficient energy, and it too slowly transitions away from big, expensive fossil fuel plants,” said Nick Occhipinti, government affairs director for Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “With the threat of climate change looming, it’s time for DTE to turn its words into action and commit to clean energy and energy efficiency instead of building new fossil fuel plants. DTE can do better.”

"Air pollution from coal-fired power plants places a disproportionate burden on our most vulnerable citizens: children, seniors and those with serious health conditions,” said Kindra Weid, RN and coalition coordinator of MI Air MI Health. “While DTE plans to reduce some of its coal-powered fleet in the coming years, a significant amount of its energy will continue coming from dirty coal through 2040. We find this unacceptable and encouraged the Michigan Public Service Commission to reject DTE's IRP."

“DTE's long-term energy plan has faced months of input and opposition because it is a chance to redefine Michigan energy,” said Ariana Gonzalez, Senior Energy Policy Analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “We cannot waste this opportunity to ensure Michigan's energy future is clean, affordable and reliable.”

“Instead of protecting clean water, clean air and our communities, DTE chooses to invest in their pocketbooks by doubling down on expensive, polluting fossil fuels," said Theresa Landrum, Detroit resident and activist with Sierra Club. “We call on the Michigan Public Service Commission to reject DTE's polluting energy plan. Alternatively, we ask the MPSC to require them to design a plan that protects Michiganders and those living in the most heavily impacted communities by investing in cheaper and cleaner renewable energy sources, efficiency programs, and storage technology.”

“DTE has offered Michigan residents a false choice in its integrated resource plan by portraying clean energy as inherently in conflict with affordability and reliability,” said James Gignac, Lead Midwest Energy Analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists. “The purpose of the IRP process is to evaluate different alternatives, but DTE sidestepped that to the detriment of its customers, many of whom bear high energy burdens and face costly electricity bills. The Michigan Public Service Commission must ensure the company revises its plan to put cleaner, lower-cost energy sources at the forefront.”

“If DTE is allowed to move forward with this expensive, polluting plan, Michigan will continue to fall behind its neighbors like Minnesota,” said John Delurey, Midwest Director for Vote Solar. “At the end of the day, the costs of our continued dependence on fossil fuels — financial, health and otherwise — fall most heavily on Michigan's disadvantaged and low-income families. That’s not right. The MPSC has a duty to protect everyone from DTE’s reckless proposal.”

###

Michigan Chapter Update - 12.15.19 - Water Protection, Enbridge Violations and Factory Farm Hearings - and Thank You and Looking Forward to 2020

Add caption

Sierra Club endorsed candidates make gains in local races

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Media Contacts:
Christy McGillivray: 808-726-5325 
Tim Minotas: 248-961-9610

Sierra Club endorsed candidates won big in last night’s elections across Michigan. The issues that drove voters to the polls in this off-year election included candidate commitments to renewable energy at the municipal level, safe affordable drinking water, environmentally sustainable development, and support for local recycling programs. Sierra Club is proud to support candidates that championed these issues.

Michael Fournier, the Sierra Club endorsed candidate for mayor of Royal Oak,​ sees his win as a mandate to push forward on sustainable development. Speaking with Sierra Club this morning Fournier said, “Environmental issues are top issues for our constituents in Royal Oak. We plan to be thoughtful leaders in proving that economic development and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive.”

The election results from last night show that candidate positions on environmental issues will also play a big role in the 2020 election. According to polling done this summer through the ​Yale project on climate communications, 65% of registered voters in Michigan are concerned about climate change, and 74% of voters are likely to support candidates who favor funding renewable energy. Sierra Club channels significant grassroots support to translate these polling results into election results, and last night’s wins show that we are making gains going into 2020.

Sierra Club endorsed candidate Wendy Pate​, the highest vote getter across all candidates in Trenton, sees environmental issues at the heart of her campaign issues, “I campaigned for community benefit in development. The International Wildlife Refuge and the Detroit River anchor our community, and we deserve clean sustainable development that will drive Trenton forward.”

For a full list of Sierra Club endorsed candidates visit
https://www.sierraclub.org/michigan/endorsed-candidates-2019

##

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 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​.

Paid for by Michigan Sierra PAC (109 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. Lansing, MI 48906)

Court Ruling On Enbridge Line 5 Leaves Great Lakes At Risk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Sean McBrearty, Campaign Coordinator, Oil & Water Don’t Mix

The Court of Claims ruling that Public Act 359 of 2018 establishing a tunnel authority is legal does not change the fact that Enbridge’s Line 5 pipelines continue to pose an unacceptable risk to the Great Lakes and Michigan’s economy.   

Given that the future of the Great Lakes is at stake immediate review and action by Governor Whitmer and her administration is required. Because the previous administration of former Gov. Snyer attempted to contract away the rule of law, a legal appeal of today’s ruling on the proposed tunnel deal for  Enbridge Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac by the Michigan Court of Claims is particularly critical and necessary. 

Today’s decision is disappointing because it momentarily allows the deal for a new tunnel in the Straits to make its way through the many authorizations and permits requires to be placed in the public trust soils under the Great Lakes.  The decision does nothing to address and protect the Great Lakes from these dangerous, corroding, dented 66-year-old pipelines.  Enbridge’s pipelines will continue transporting 23 million gallons of oil a day through the Straits, even as the most dangerous time of year approaches when gales and ice cover in the Straits makes oil spill response in the event of a Line 5 rupture or leak impossible. Enbridge would like everyone to think that a Straits oil tunnel is the solution to the problem of their dangerous pipelines.  But they have refused to even commit to constructing a tunnel or submit it for normal review under Michigan law and walked away from negotiations with the governor after she reasonably demanded that any tunnel must be constructed within two years.

##

Community and Environmental Organizations Push Michigan to Reject DTE’s Long-Term Energy Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 21, 2019

Contact:

Ivan Moreno, Natural Resources Defense Council, imoreno@nrdc.org, 312-651-7932
Rachel Perkins, Byrum & Fisk Communications, rperkins@byrumfisk.com, 517-333-1606

Paul Dailing, Environmental Law & Policy Center, pdailing@elpc.org, 312-795-3701

Abby Figueroa, Union of Concerned Scientists, afigueroa@ucsusa.org, 510-809-1564

Renner Barsella, Sierra Club, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org, 217-390-9394

Community and Environmental Organizations Push Michigan to Reject DTE’s Long-Term Energy Plan

LANSING – Environmental and community organizations today are calling for Michigan’s Public Service Commission to reject the proposed long-term energy plan from DTE following testimony from experts revealing how DTE’s plan will hold back a transition to cleaner, more affordable energy. Experts ranging from energy economists, renewable experts, and health professionals submitted testimony detailing significant flaws in DTE’s proposal.

Advocates argue that the plan would unnecessarily increase costs, rely too heavily on fossil fuels that should be retired much earlier, increase racial and economic inequity, and not invest enough in the clean energy resources that customers are increasingly demanding. Environmental and community organizations also call for a more transparent, fair, and inclusive planning process that would hold the state’s utilities accountable to Michigan customers.

The full case filing including testimony can be found here: https://sforce.co/2KMZROU.

The following are reactions from environmental, conservation and community organizations on DTE Energy’s proposed Integrated Resource Plan:    

“We need a plan that puts people first, with health, affordability and community power at the forefront,” said Jackson Koeppel, Executive Director of Soulardarity. “DTE’s proposal is a transparent attempt to push the cost of their bad investments and abysmally poor management onto the low-income communities and communities of color they have been dumping pollution and rate hikes on for their entire career. DTE is intentionally ignoring community solar and other local solutions because they care more about how much money their investors will make next quarter than the lives of the millions of people they claim to serve.”

“DTE’s plan is supposed to be a vision for powering homes and businesses across the state. Instead, it’s left Michigan’s environmental justice communities feeling stripped of power,” said Michelle Martinez, statewide coordinator for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition. “If we want real climate justice, the process must change, must be inclusive, and must hold DTE accountable.”

"DTE’s IRP treats both carbon emissions and cost impacts on ratepayers as an afterthought, instead of a priority that needs to be addressed," said Alexis Blizman, Policy Director at the Ecology Center. "DTE must expand energy efficiency, as well as include greater investments in clean, renewable energy, like wind and solar, to protect ratepayers against both the harmful impacts of continuing the use of fossil fuels, as well as the price volatility of natural gas. The Commission should reject DTE's proposed IRP and send them back to create a plan that protects both people and planet.”

“DTE has an opportunity to embrace a clean energy future for Michigan, but by submitting a plan that fails to seriously look at solar and wind power, battery storage, energy efficiency and demand response, it did not give itself that chance,” said Margrethe Kearney, a senior attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “This plan holds onto the old way of doing business, outdated strategies that don’t give DTE the flexibility to integrate clean, cost-effective renewables that benefit both Michigan’s economy and the environment.”

“DTE’s IRP is consistent with a century-old monopoly stuck in traditional solutions,” said John Richter, Policy Analyst at Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association. “DTE has proposed utility-owned wind parks in just enough quantity to meet their legal obligations and the demands of their largest customers for green energy. While the GLREA welcomes the proposed renewable energy facilities, the assumptions formed in the overall plan are faulty and mired in the past. This plan needs substantial revision.”

“DTE’s current proposal to keep coal online for the next 20 years will have vast and far-reaching implications on the health, safety, and well-being of families across Michigan,” said Kindra Weid, RN and Coalition Coordinator of MI Air MI Health.

“Integrated resource plans are incredibly important for mapping out our energy future. It's critical that the plans the MPSC ultimately approves are based on sound analysis,” said Charlotte Jameson, energy policy and legislative affairs director of Michigan Environmental Council. “DTE submitted a plan riddled with flaws that bias the outcome away from clean, renewable energy. These errors are clear to see, especially when you compare their plan with the one Consumers Energy submitted. As intervenors charged with protecting Michigan’s environment and residential ratepayers, we will continue to weigh in on each step of this IRP process to make sure we get the best outcome for Michigan’s residents.”

"DTE’s long-range plan fails to rein in exploding electricity costs that are burdening families and businesses,” said Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Michiganders are seeing the negative effects of climate change every day -- from flooded basements and farm fields to spreading algae in the Great Lakes and scorching droughts. It is time for DTE to move aggressively toward clean, renewable energy instead of delaying investments in solar and wind power and opening new, expensive gas plants."

“DTE’s plan yet again shortchanges their customers’ clean energy future in favor of more expensive fossil fuels,” said Ariana Gonzalez, senior energy policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They clearly ignored the massive tide of criticism from their last proposal that led to a billion-dollar gas plant. This is why we must set a precedent in this case to ensure clean, safe and affordable energy for all.”

"Instead of protecting clean water, clean air, and our communities, DTE chooses to invest in their pocketbooks by doubling down on expensive, polluting fossil fuels," said Theresa Landrum, Detroit resident and activist with Sierra Club. “We call on the Michigan Public Service Commission to reject DTE's polluting energy plan.  Alternatively, we ask the MPSC to require them to design a plan that protects Michiganders and those living in the most heavily impacted communities by investing in cheaper and cleaner renewable energy sources, efficiency programs, and storage technology.”

“DTE's plan to keep relying on coal plants for the next two decades fails to account for the health, climate, and financial impacts of burning coal,” said Shannon Fisk, Managing Attorney of Earthjustice’s Coal Program. “DTE overestimated the costs of replacing coal plants with renewables, storage, and efficiency because the company relied on flawed and outdated assumptions, instead of actual market data. Michiganders would benefit most, in terms of cost and health, from aggressive replacement of coal plants with cost-effective and reliable clean energy.

“DTE’s plan favors its own expensive power plants over a truly robust process to ensure cleaner and more affordable energy for Michigan customers. I’ve seen utility commissions reject resource plans for far less egregious missteps," said Joe Daniel, senior energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “DTE overestimated the cost of renewables, underestimated the benefits of efficiency, all the while ignoring risks associated with the way it operates its existing fleet of coal-fired power plants. The Michigan Public Service Commission should send this plan back to the company and insist that DTE take seriously its obligation to fairly evaluate all resource options, especially earlier investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency."

"Solar and other clean energy options have quickly become some of America's lowest cost resources, and every Michigander should be able to benefit from these affordable, healthy, homegrown options. Instead, DTE is trying to double down on polluting gas and get away with offering only a very small utility-controlled green power program that will cost customers a premium when it should be delivering savings," said Will Kenworthy, Midwest Regulatory Director with Vote Solar. "This expensive plan will put solar out of reach for many low-income families, seniors on fixed incomes, environmental justice communities and others who shouldn't be shut out from the clean economy, which is why we're joining together with allies today to urge a stronger, healthier and more resilient path forward for DTE."

###