Saturday, December 22, 2018
Friday, December 21, 2018
Leading Citizens Groups To Gov. Snyder: Protect Public Health and Michigan Water by Vetoing Dangerous Legislation
Environmental, social justice organizations and civic groups today called on Governor Snyder to protect Michigan’s water and the health of millions of residents by vetoing destructive bills that don’t safeguard public health.
The citizens groups, which represent hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents, said the Governor should veto the following bills that weaken the state’s basic environmental and public health protections:
- HB 4205: Blocking safeguards that are more protective than federal standards which would prevent the state from proactively setting PFAS drinking water and other important safeguards that protect the people of Michigan.
- SB 1244: Weakening the state’s contaminated site cleanup criteria which will create roadblocks to protecting Michigan residents from PFAS and other contaminants. We support the more than 80 Michigan Department of Environmental Quality staff who called on Governor Snyder to veto this bill.
- SB 1196: Increasing the amount of radioactive waste disposed of in Michigan.
- SB 1211: Removing protections from more than 500,000 acres of wetlands that filter and store our water, reduce flooding and provide habitat for wildlife.
Organizations that have united in the call for Governor Snyder to veto from these lame duck bills include:
- Anglers of the AuSable
- Clean Water Action
- Huron River Watershed Council
- Michigan Demands Action Against Contamination
- Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
- Ecology Center
- Flint Rising
- Flint River Watershed Coalition
- FLOW
- League of Women Voters of Michigan
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council
- Need Our Water (NOW)
- People’s Water Board Coalition
- Sierra Club
- Straits of Mackinac Alliance
- We the People of Detroit
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Major Investors Pressure Exxon to Set CO2 Reduction Targets
The world's largest oil company is being pressured by major shareholders to take action on climate change.
Institutional investors with an estimated $1.9 trillion under management, led by the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) and the Church Commissioners of England (CCE), filed a shareholder resolution calling on ExxonMobil to set targets for lowering its greenhouse gas emissions, covering emissions from both its operations and the use of its products.
The NYSCRF is the third largest public pension fund in the U.S., with assets of $207.4 billion as of March 31, and the Church of England's investment fund manages investable assets of some £8.3 billion ($10.5 billion), according to the comptroller's office.
Their move—made a day after the critical COP24 climate summit in Poland wrapped up—is similar to the direct shareholder pressure applied to Royal Dutch Shell. After some hard resistance, Shell became the first energy giant earlier this month to set short-term greenhouse gas reduction targets, linking them to executive pay.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Monday, November 19, 2018
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Friday, November 16, 2018
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Environmental Justice and Democracy Issues
This blog was written by Amanda Robert, the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter's Democracy Organizer and a member of our Environmental Justice Action Group.
Environmental Justice and Democracy Issues
Environmental injustices happen every day and
in all types of communities, but they disproportionately affect low income
communities and communities of color. Why is this one might ask, and what can
we do to help remedy the situation. The Flint water crisis is probably the most
well-known current case of environmental injustice in Michigan, let’s examine
what allowed that situation to happen. For starters it is widely acknowledged
that having laws and institutions that promote transparency, inclusivity and accountability
are essential to effective governance. It is when these rights are available to
some and not to others that we see inequalities and injustices arise. According
to the Flint Water Advisory Task Force, governance failures were at the heart of
the crisis. In other words we have a problem of ineffective governance due to a
lack of transparency, public inclusion and accountability. If the residents of
Flint had been taken seriously and had their voices heard when they sounded the
alarm almost immediately the crisis could have been greatly minimized. Flint is
not alone though, these sorts of governance failures happen all over our state
especially to groups and communities that are politically or economically
disempowered. We in essence need to strengthen our democracy, and that is
exactly what we hope to do by passing both proposals 2 and 3 this November.
Proposal 2 would fix our current process of
redistricting or drawing electoral maps. In the current system politicians draw
the lines, giving themselves the advantage. This makes it very difficult to
then hold these representatives accountable, even when they allow people’s
water or air to be poisoned. Proposal 3 would update our voting laws, which
have not been substantially updated since 1975. Rights like the ability to get
an absentee ballot without a reason, the choice to vote straight-ticket and the
ability to register to vote anytime up to and including on election day as long
as it is in person and with proof of residency would be added. In all seven new
voting rights would be added to our laws, expecting to increase voter turnout
by 400K for the 2020 elections.
These proposals may not seem all that
important in the face of today’s political atmosphere. People are focused on
electing environmental and social justice champions who will protect the
interests of all. The problem is, without fixing the system electing some of
those great people may be close to impossible. Our electoral maps are drawn to
give an advantage to those already in power, and as we know many of them have
no interest or incentive to protect us or the environment. What’s even worse is
they are continuing their attacks on access to the democratic process and this
time it is with the removal of straight-ticket (or straight-party) voting.
Why would the Sierra Club care about
straight-ticket voting you may ask, being a non-partisan organization. That is
a good question, and it is simple, because it is more convenient for voters and
encourages electoral participation. Straight-ticket voting speeds up the
process of voting, leading to shorter lines. When lines are long people often
leave before they get a chance to vote, either out of frustration or necessity.
An MLive survey found that in the 2012 election
almost fifty percent of Michigan voters used the straight-party option when
voting. Some claim that it is only used by Democrats, but that is untrue, that
same survey found that of those straight-party voters 30% voted for Democrats,
19% voted for Republicans and 1% voted third party. Even more interestingly,
straight-ticket voting is believed to have helped the Republicans significantly during
the 2016 election.
 |
| Long lines on election day discourage people from voting, especially in urban communities dealing with environmental injustices. |
From an environmental justice lense we are concerned about the removal of the straight-party option because African Americans and other minorities tend to use it more often, a fact that is backed up by U.S. Census data. Removing the option will have a disproportionate effect on communities like Detroit and Flint with a high population of minority citizens. Without the option of only having to fill in one bubble for the partisan choices, ballots will be long and it is expected to take the average voter longer to complete. In a city like Detroit where wait times are already some of the longest in the nation, sometimes upward of two to three hours, this change is expected to have a significant impact on wait times. With the current issues Detroiters are facing, like the toxins in their air in the Southwest part of the city, the lead in the water at their public schools or the mass water shutoffs threatening their communities, they can not afford to have their voter turnout suppressed by any amount.
When the right to vote is under attack, there
is little as important. The ability to vote is what gives us the power to
control what the futures of our communities look like. Environmental injustices
don’t happen alone, but alongside other types of exploitation, which are
possible when people are not able to be a part of the system and their voices
are muted. Strengthening democracy is good for all of us and all environmental
concerns, but it is especially important when trying to fight environmental
injustices. Remember to vote yes on proposals two and three in November, for
yourself and for communities like Flint and Detroit.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Monday, August 20, 2018
EJAG in Action at Michigan Environmental Justice Summit
 |
| Monica Lewis Patrick of We The People spoke at the Summit |
I’m proud of the Sierra Club Michigan
Environmental Justice Action Group’s (EJAG’s) hard work to support the Michigan
Environmental Justice Coalition in organizing the event. We contributed in a
number of ways, including:
●
Developing and being featured in
the opening “Flint in Focus” session where, on stage, we discussed the Flint
water crisis status, myths, environmental justice demands for the next
administration of Michigan government, and what needs to be done for Flint to
heal from the water crisis;
●
Curating the water justice track
by reviewing and selecting proposals
 |
| Flint pediatrician/activist Dr. Lawrence Reynolds appeared on a panel. |
●
Organizing the 2-hour “Water
Warriors Unite!” session, where we educated an audience of about 50
participants on the importance of policy development and how to use power
mapping as a tool for analyzing powerful influencers for/against an issue, and
gathering information to support the EJAG’s power mapping work regarding water
issues; and,
●
Recommending the event location
and local vendors.
The energy at the Summit was buoyant and
hopeful, with people networking and connecting across communities and
organizations to address pressing - and often interconnected - environmental
issues. For example, the dangerous presence of Enbridge pipelines is both an
energy justice issue and a water justice issue. Participants discussed
strategies to make room for new generations of environmental leaders, and the
intentional inclusion of a youth-organized youth justice track was a way for
the Summit itself to grow youth environmental justice leadership. Summit
participants also explored how to broaden environmental movements to be
inclusive of Native, First Nation and People of Color’s environmental matters
of concern like the Rights of Nature movement, and polluting
facilities (e.g. incinerators, petrochemical refineries, plastics
manufacturing), environmental disinvestment, and unaffordable drinking water
rates which tend to be concentrated in Native, First Nation and People of Color
communities.
In addition to our power-mapping session, the
water justice track highlighted an Anishinaabe-led workshop on grassroots
action on threats to Great Lakes water and a panel about forming just and
equitable research partnerships between academic institutions and communities
to address environmental injustices. One of the EJAG’s next steps is to circle
back to the full range of groups and organizations that participated in the
Summit to gather more information on how groups are working on water quality
and water affordability issues so that we can complete our internal power
mapping project and identify additional partners to work with to achieve
relevant Chapter priorities.
I was pleased to see Sierra Club Michigan
staff well-represented at the Summit, both to support the power-mapping session
and bridge tracks by learning from energy justice sessions that related to the
Chapter’s priorities. Great work, everyone!
In solidarity,
Mona Munroe-Younis
EJAG Chairperson
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Thursday, July 19, 2018
2018 Doris Duke Scholars: How We Spent Our Summer Vacation
5 Lessons Learned While Working With the Sierra Club
Gabbie Buendia and Emily Rau are scholars in the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) at the University of Michigan’s
School for the Environment and Sustainability and are working for the Sierra
Club as Great Lakes Program interns for the Summer 2018. DDCSP is a two-year,
fully-funded research and internship program for undergraduate students
interested in conservation and environmental justice. Gabbie is from Orlando, Fla.,
and will be a senior at Rollins College majoring in Environmental Studies and
minoring in Women and Gender Studies. Emily is from Oak Creek, Wis., and will
be a senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Environmental
Sciences with a certificate in Sustainability.
Our main focus this summer was working with the Rain Gardens to the Rescue program. This program teaches interested Detroit
residents about the benefits and construction of rain gardens. Once residents
graduate from the program, Friends of the Rouge and Sierra Club assist them in
the creation of their own garden. After three years of training residents
through these workshops, the goal is to create a secondary level program. This
new program will train original program graduates to install rain gardens for other
residents. To support the creation of this new program, we have been compiling
evidence to help validate its need. In order to familiarize ourselves with this
issue, we conducted market research on green stormwater infrastructure (GSI).
The market research evaluated the potential of the GSI workforce in Detroit.
The GSI workforce includes the installment and maintenance of rain gardens that
program graduates would be involved in. We found that the job market can be accessible
and profitable for many Detroit residents.
Overall, this summer was filled with new experiences that
have challenged us to learn new skills and have shown us the true beauty of
Detroit. From the beginning of our research to our last measurement taken in
the field, we have learned a number of lessons about green stormwater
infrastructure, making change in the community, and conducting effective
collaboration. Below are just five of the lessons learned
this summer that will have a lasting impact on us:
1. Rain gardens are most effective within a larger
network of green stormwater infrastructure. Rain gardens may look small, but
their impact can be big when paired with other green infrastructure all
throughout the city. Rain gardens are cost effective and low maintenance,
making them an ideal supplement for stormwater management. Additionally, rain
gardens add beauty to the landscape, bringing native plants back to the area
and removing pollutants from water. All of which leads us to our next lesson learned...
2. Fostering a sense of place and community improves the
health of the environment. The Rain Gardens to the Rescue program gives
Detroiters autonomy in beautifying their yards and pride in the landscapes that
they have created. We met many residents that were proud of their beautiful
rain gardens and excited about seeing more of them around the city. It is with
this kind of enthusiasm that the strong networks of green stormwater
infrastructure discussed above can thrive.
3. Water safety and security presents unique issues to
cities all over the country. Although we have spent this summer learning about
the Great Lakes water system, many of the issues and concerns are familiar. Among
many factors, the future of Detroit’s water is threatened by pollution,
invasive species, algal blooms, and poor infrastructure. These problems echo
all throughout America. We aim to take the information and strategies on water
safety that we learned in Detroit back to our hometowns.
4. Change requires collaboration. We went to many
meetings this summer and witnessed many different working groups in action.
Through it all, we have learned that these meetings and discussions are
necessary for real, inclusive impact. Without collaboration, the distinct needs
of the city, community organizations, and individual residents cannot be fully
incorporated into meaningful plans for change.
5. Non-profit work requires versatility and flexibility.
Our work this summer has taken us to places and introduced us to people that we
would never thought we would be interacting with. This includes a visit to an
engineering lab where we built a water sensor from scratch and a talk with a
librarian about how to conduct market research. Although we did not have
experience with many of the topics we encountered, being enthusiastic about
learning made the process easier and more beneficial to everyone in the long
run.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Energy Internship
2018/19 Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Energy Internship
(West Michigan)
(West Michigan)
What is the Sierra Club?
The Sierra Club's members and supporters are more than 3 million of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. Founded in 1892, the Club is America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Our mission is to: (1) Explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; (2) Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; (3) Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and (4) Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The Sierra Club's members and supporters are more than 3 million of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. Founded in 1892, the Club is America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Our mission is to: (1) Explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; (2) Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; (3) Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and (4) Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Dates of Internship: (approximately) Summer (short internships -July - August)
Fall - (September-December )
Winter - (January - May)
Winter - (January - May)
Hours: Average 10 hours per week, flexible and can be worked around your school schedule
Location: West Michigan--Work from home, occasional in-person meetings, some attendance at local events
Internship Responsibilities
You will be directly assisting one to two Sierra Club Michigan Chapter staff with their organizing work on the Beyond Coal Campaign and Ready for 100 Campaign.
You will be directly assisting one to two Sierra Club Michigan Chapter staff with their organizing work on the Beyond Coal Campaign and Ready for 100 Campaign.
Responsibilities may include:
- Social media posts for local events
- Calling and emailing volunteers to attend events
- Attending local community events and Sierra Club events
- Assist with event organizing
- Help with outreach to gain more volunteers and supporters for current work
Qualifications:
The ideal applicant will have relevant coursework or a major in environmental studies, political science, or related studies. Good writing and research skills as well as a knowledge or interest in environmental issues and energy issues in particular, and proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Documents, and social media. Ability to work independently. Strongly self-motivated.
The ideal applicant will have relevant coursework or a major in environmental studies, political science, or related studies. Good writing and research skills as well as a knowledge or interest in environmental issues and energy issues in particular, and proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Documents, and social media. Ability to work independently. Strongly self-motivated.
Compensation: Internship comes with a stipend
Deadline to apply: Ongoing
Contact: Jan O’Connell, 616-956-6646, jan.oconnell@sierraclub.org OR
Jordan Chrispell, jordan.chrispell@sierraclub.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Michigan Chapter Welcomes Two Doris Duke Scholars
 |
| Gabby Buendia |
My passion for this work was sparked by a class on Culture and the Environment. Since then, my interests have extended to environmental justice, environmental feminism, access to green spaces, and education. As I prepare for the workforce, I look forward to gaining more experience in community organizing and research. I have already been challenged this summer by the introduction of many new skills including how to conduct market research and how to construct and program a water sensor.
In my spare time, I love to go hiking and do Pilates. I also keep myself busy on campus with my involvement in managing the campus Women’s Center and serving as a sustainability coordinator. I am so excited to be working with the Sierra Club and hope to adapt the skills I gain this summer to improve my local community.
 |
| Emily Rau |
_______________________________________________________
My name is Emily Rau and I am a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar interning at the Great Lakes Program in Detroit. I am currently a Senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Environmental Sciences with a certificate in Sustainability.
This is my second summer in Michigan apart of the Doris Duke Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. DDCSP is a 2-year, fully-funded research and internship program for undergraduate students interested in conservation and the environment. Last summer I conducted research on component use patterns used in case studies for the Michigan Sustainability Cases in the School for Environment and Sustainability.
I am ecstatic to be working with the Michigan Chapter’s Great Lakes Program this summer! Growing up a mile away from Lake Michigan has allowed me to appreciate what the Great Lakes have to offer and to understand how important it is to take care of the freshwater we have for the public good and conservation. I also am interested in water management and freshwater ecology making this internship the perfect fit for me by helping out with green stormwater infrastructure projects. Throughout the next two months I will be working on taking inventory of the 50 rain gardens the Sierra Club has helped build, mapping green infrastructure around Detroit, and developing a market analysis report on green infrastructure jobs.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Sierra Club Solar Partners Answer Questions about the Future of Net Metering
Is this your last chance for a Net Metered Solar Array in Michigan?
In recent months, there have been so
many questions surrounding Net Metering. So many that our solar partners, Michigan Solar Solutions and Solar Winds, feel it is time to
explain what is going on with the program
and how current and future solar array owners in the DTE and
Consumers Energy territories have the knowledge to maneuver in the
solar incentive arena while the utilities and Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) prepare to end the program.
● First Question
(and a good question) is What is Net Metering?
Net Metering
is the process where solar
power producers put mostly
peak power onto the grid at mes when
they
produce more power than they can consume, and take mostly off-peak power off the grid at night or when their system is
not producing enough power.
On a small
scale, let’s say that a solar array is producing
three kilowatt hours and the
building is using one kilowatt hour--simple math shows us that there is excess power in the
mix of two kilowatt hours at that
moment in time. The excess power is
pushed back to the grid (outflow) and the net metering customer is
credited two kilowatt hours
on their bill at a rate equivalent to what they are paying their utility provider. On
the other side of the equation if the
same user is consuming 4 kilowatt hours, the bill would reflect a
charge (inflow) for one kilowatt hour.
The utility companies currently charge as much as 300% more for peak power than
they
do for off-peak power. It is important to note that solar power is
consumed mostly in peak periods and the outflow is sent to the grid.
Michigan residents/businesses, who are currently enrolled in
the net metering program have been content with an equal 1-for-1 credit, but sadly, the utility companies are not; independently owned solar energy producers are perceived as competition. Since
Net
Metering customers are the first competition many of these monopolies have seen, DTE and Consumers Energy have been relentless in
their pursuit to end Net Metering. With that said,
though, other states have successfully gone through the process of
assessing the true value of solar power and are finding that solar power is worth much more than regular power.
● Isn’t Power -- Power? How can the True
Value of Solar Power be Determined as Worth More?
Yes, Peak/Off-Peak valuation is one reason. Another
reason is the practice of
building more power plants when peak demand nears full capacity so brownouts or blackouts are not
experienced.
With enough solar power feeding
the grid we do not need these
new power plants. It is a desirable practice for a
utility company to build a new power plant because, once they get approved, they are automatically
guaranteed to make a little over 10% on the
cost of the construction
of the new plant. The
new $1,000,000,000.00 (one billion) gas fired power plant in St. Clair that the MPSC just approved for DTE guarantees them over $100,000,000.00 (one-hundred million) in profit. With cost overruns
it will be more.
When the owner of a building makes over 10% on
all cost overruns then,
of course, there will
be cost overruns.
DTE’s
ratepayers will be
paying for this plant along
with DTE’s profits for building
it, for many years to come.
● Is Solar Power
Supported on Both Sides of
the Aisle in the State
of Michigan?
Solar power is
no longer a Democrat versus Republican issue. Solar power is
now
supported by both sides of the aisle. All recent polls regarding support for solar have shown over 70% of Michigan’s residents support
solar power.
This was recently reaffirmed by the tax exemption bill
for
solar being sponsored by a Republican legislator and
passed out of a mostly conservative tax committee with an 11 – 2 vote.
● Is Net Metering Scheduled to End For DTE & Consumers Energy
Customers? If so, When?
Here is
the timeline with details:
● June 1,
2018: Deadline for Publicly
regulated utility company to submit a rate case to the MPSC. With
the rate case, they are required to include
the replacement for Net Metering called Distributed Generation.
● The utility companies will propose to the MPSC
what
they want to pay solar
system owners for the
power they send to the grid.
The MPSC will take 10 to 12 months
to
work with the utility company to finalize what the reimbursement will be.
The Good News!
- All system owners that have applied for Net Metering prior to early/mid 2019 will be grandfathered in for 10 years.
- Installing Solar before Distributed Generation will lock solar system owners into the Net Metering Program. So, NOW is the time to Install a Solar Array!
- If the reimbursement rate ever exceeds the purchase price for power, the solar system owner can opt out of their grandfather and enter the new Distributed Generation tariff.
● Is there
a way to Demand a Decent Rate of
Reimbursement of Kilowatts Produced
by Our Solar Array?
If we are going to get solar
power producers a fair
price that is representative of
the value of this resource and the
monies it saves all
ratepayers, then we need to contact our Michigan legislators and demand they pass the Energy Freedom package - House Bills 5861-5865--which would ensure that rooftop solar owners get a fair price for the excess energy they share with the grid. Find more info on this proposal here.
Please take a moment this summer to call your state Representative (find them here) and state Senator (find them here) and demand that they support House Bills 5861-5865. Demand that they side
with over 70% of Michigan’s residents and set the reimbursement rate for power sent to the grid to be on
par with the value of the resource.
A 1-for-1 credit is
the baseline for where this
needs to be. If it is going to reflect the cost savings
to
all ratepayers for peak power vs. off-peak power and not needing more billion-dollar plants,
then there should be a premium.
And contact the MPSC to tell them the same thing!
MPSC MPSC
Sally
Talberg – Chairperson Julie
Baldwin, Manager
517-284-8330 Renewable Energy Secon
Michigan Public
Service Commission Michigan Public Service Commission
PO Box 30221 517 284-8318
Lansing, MI 48909 Baldwinj2@michigan.gov
It has never been more important than it is now for you to start a
letter, email or phone campaign
to make your voice heard. The
utility companies spend millions in their lobbying efforts -- we just have each other.
Please keep in
mind, that the power from your electricity provider
is not a good investment -- it is a negative return on investment (ROI). Investing in
Solar Photovoltaics (PV) gets you a positive ROI and shows up on your power bill
as monthly credits for power generated, and you have an actual payoff date and
the promise of low-cost
power for decades to come.
Also, do not hesitate to give one
of the Sierra Club Solar Partners a call to discuss how a solar array will fit into
your ecological and financial future.
Sierra Club
Solar Partners,
Mark Hagerty Mike Linsea
Michigan Solar Solutions Solar
Winds Power Systems
248 520-2474 616 635-7855
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