Sierra Club Applauds Bipartisan Community Solar Legislation

 Sierra Club Applauds Bipartisan Community Solar Legislation

 

Lansing, MI - Today, in bipartisan fashion, Reps. Rachel Hood (D) and Michele Hoitenga (R) introduced legislation (House Bills 4715-4716) to remove restrictions on community solar projects in Michigan, allowing communities, non-profits, religious institutions, and everyone from all income levels to participate in the clean energy revolution while lowering their utility bills.

 

 

In response, Tim Minotas, a Legislative and Political Coordinator with the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter, released the following statement:

 

“Community solar programs address the many barriers that prevent households from adopting rooftop solar, such as people who can’t afford the up-front costs, who are renting, have shaded rooftops, or don’t qualify for standard financing solutions.

 

These bills will allow all customers to go solar and save money by joining a shared solar installation located somewhere else in their community and receive a credit on their utility bill for their portion of the power produced. This is a crucial tool for mitigating expensive electricity rates and household energy burden - which is especially high in Michigan for both rural and low income communities. Overall, these bills will help improve our economic stability, provide good-paying jobs, enhance the use of cleaner sources of energy, and create a healthier Michigan.” 

 

 

 

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Voter Suppression: Senate Elections Committee busy rushing laws to Suppress the vote in Michigan

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Contact: 

Christy McGillivray, christy.mcgillivray@sierraclub.org

Tim Minotas, tim.minotas@sierraclub.org 

Voter Suppression: Senate Elections Committee busy rushing laws to Suppress the vote in Michigan

Lansing, MI - Today, the Michigan Senate Elections Committee, took up a handful of bills that are a part of a larger package of anti-voter legislation aimed at making it more difficult for Michiganders to vote. The justification for these bills are based on widespread lies and disinformation about the 2020 election. Senate Bill 287, one of the most concerning bills taken up in committee today, would bar local clerks from offering prepaid postage on absentee ballot envelopes, something many clerks across Michigan did to make it easier to vote.

In response, Christy McGillivray the Legislative and Political Director of Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter, released the following statement:

“These bills should be seen for what they are– blatant voter suppression tactics aimed at slashing opportunities for all voters to participate in absentee voting. After the successful administration of our 2020 elections, in which a record number of Michiganders safely and securely cast absentee ballots, Senate Republicans are trying to make it harder for Michiganders to vote. We should be building on the successes of the 2020 election and expanding access to the ballot instead of winding back the clock and making it harder to vote.” 

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Press Statement: Sierra Club MI Applauds Michael Regan’s Historic Confirmation

 Press Statement: Sierra Club MI Applauds Michael Regan’s Historic Confirmation

Lansing, MI-- The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter celebrates the confirmation of Michael Regan as the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator. “After four years of climate-deniers leading the country’s top environmental agency, it is a breath of fresh air to have someone in place who will prioritize protecting our land, air, and water.” said Sarah Tresedder, Climate Action Organizer at the MI Chapter. “Regan is a true environmental champion, who has spent his entire career fighting for vulnerable communities and promoting environmental justice.”

Before his history-making nomination to head the EPA, Regan led the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, where he fought against pipeline expansions, emphasized the need to invest in clean energy, and worked to clean up coal ash pits in the state. His entire career has centered on protecting those most vulnerable and least powerful. He has championed underrepresented communities and is committed to racial and environmental justice-- making him the perfect leader during this crucial time for climate action.

“Michael Regan is the most qualified candidate to lead the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency,”  said Tim Minotas, Political and Legislative Coordinator for the Chapter. “With him leading the way, we are hopeful that our state and country can build back better toward a more sustainable future for all.” 

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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 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.

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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