Gov. Whitmer Signs First Executive Directive to Protect Public Health, Safety and Welfare

LANSING -- Today Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the first Executive Directive of her administration, Executive Directive 2019-1, to ensure any imminent threat to public health, safety or welfare is immediately reported, assessed, and investigated by department employees, department directors, and agency heads.

“As governor, one of my principal duties is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all Michigan residents,” said Whitmer. “I am confident that the cabinet I have assembled will put Michiganders first, encourage and empower state employees to speak up if they believe there is a threat to public health and safety, and act promptly on any concerns with my chief compliance officer. This executive directive will ensure that our government works for the people of our state.”

“The people of Michigan deserve peace of mind that their government is working to protect them,” said Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. “I am committed to having an open-door policy, listening actively, empowering employees to speak up, and reassuring them that they have protections under the law if they believe there are threats to public health and safety. I look forward to working with Governor Whitmer as we build a state government that puts Michiganders first.”

Under the directive, department employees who become aware of an imminent threat to the public health, safety, or welfare must immediately report it to their department director or agency head. If department directors/agency heads determine there is an imminent threat, they must eliminate or mitigate it if they have the resources to do so, and if they don’t, they must notify the governor’s chief compliance officer and request assistance. If a department director/agency head determines that there is no threat to public health, safety or welfare, they must report the reasons for that determination to the governor’s chief compliance officer.

Information related to any threat to Michiganders health, safety, or welfare must be reported objectively and promptly to eliminate any attempt to thwart discovery or obscure or discolor facts. If a department director/agency head believes that a threat is not being addressed adequately, they must share their concerns directly with the Governor. Department directors/agency heads must also remind their employees of applicable protections under The Whistleblowers' Protection Act and the Whistleblower provisions of the Michigan Civil Service Commission Rules.

###

David Holtz
313-300-4454

A Conversation with Forest Ecologist Marvin Roberson

 Read the article ...

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

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.

Read more ...

Michigan Chapter Update Dec 16, 2018 - 2018 in the Rearview Mirror

Click here or on the image below to see the newsletter

Michigan Chapter Update Dec 2, 2018 - Lame Duck Legislature Dangers

Click here or on the image below to see the newsletter.

Do you think bottled water is safe?