This guest post was written by Sue Browne, Regional Program Manager for the BlueGreen Alliance. On Tuesday at the Michigan AFL-CIO offices in Lansing, labor and environmental leaders called on Governor Snyder and state and local lawmakers to take the lead in crafting a flexible state plan to help Michigan meet its emissions reduction targets, as laid out in EPA’s […]

Back in March, I wrote about an effort by McCoig Materials to create a gravel mine just north of Chelsea, Michigan in Lyndon Township. Here’s what I wrote then: As you look at the photo of downtown Chelsea above, imagine 80 gravel trucks a day, 6 days a week rumbling through the middle of it and then back again after […]

Just like with Obamacare, the key is playing offense The Environmental Protection Agency is going to release rules next week limiting the amount of carbon dioxide pollution that can be released from power plants. Amidst a lot of worry about the impact this will have on Democrats in an off-year election, apparently the optimistic take on this among Washington Democratic […]

Corporatism is alive and well in state governments across the USA The Guardian newspaper has a blockbuster piece out today that shows how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), has turned to working through state Attorneys General to stop any efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The Guardian has learned that the American Legislative […]

Earlier this week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency’s rulemaking regarding pollutants from coal-fired power plants. The ruling allows the EPA to put tighter controls on the plants to prevent pollution in one state from having negative impacts on the health and safety of residents of another state. Michigan Attorney General was one of […]

Historic downtown Chelsea As you look at the photo of downtown Chelsea above, imagine 80 gravel trucks a day, 6 days a week rumbling through the middle of it and then back again after they dumped their load. That’s one truck every 4 minutes during daylight hours and that’s the reality of what will happen if McCoig Gravel, a subsidiary […]

Working together with health officials, vehicle manufacturers, refiners, states, and with input from the general public, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized new emission standards for vehicles and fuels that will have a huge impact on public health and the quality of the air we breathe. The new rules, signed by President Obama EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy today, call for a […]

Rick Snyder the MINO: Moderate in Name Only Today, the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club released a scorecard rating Governor Rick Snyder on his record regarding energy, environment, good government and related issues. Spoiler alert: He failed. Miserably. He received a rating of 25%. The Scorecard includes 32 key decisions made by Gov. Snyder on environmental issues including 25 […]

I pledge allegiance to flag of the Corporate State of America… State Attorney General Bill Schuette’s job is to be the top law enforcement official in Michigan. As part of that job, his role is to protect the health and safety of Michiganders. Apparently he didn’t get the memo. Schuette has sued the Environmental Protection Agency to keep them from […]

Corporate officials “can’t decide whether they want to close it or to keep it going” I wrote last about the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan back in August. At that time, there was evidence that radiation was seeping into the Pacific Ocean with the potential for much more contamination on the horizon: TEPCO has been pumping the water into […]

Michigan LCV helps make sure the Mitten’s natural resources are in good hands. If you’re spending the last blast of summer enjoying Michigan’s great outdoors, you can thank the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, at least in part. According to their website, “the Michigan League of Conservation Voters is the leading non-partisan political voice for protecting Michigan’s land, air, and […]