Demand Clean Power Now!

First they poison the water. Next is the air. The failures of Governor Snyder and the state government  to protect Flint residents from the poisoning of their drinking water have been well documented. After systematically deconstructing local government, which allowed the poisoning of Flint's drinking water, Governor Snyder's next priority is to allow corporate polluters to continue releasing toxins into our air. Despite promising to go forward with a Michigan plan that would comply with the EPA's Clean Power Plan, Gov. Snyder has backed down from that commitment. Last week, he announced that Michigan would no longer develop rules for power production that would save lives, curb air pollution, and help Michigan become a leader in the new clean energy economy. 3 Ways to Take Action 1. Join us for a phone bank Friday, Feb. 26th at 12:00pm at the Detroit MU Office (4405 Wesson St., Detroit). We will be helping Michigan residents get their voices heard on this issue. Please contact Dorthea (dorthea@miunited.org) with questions. 2. Contact Gov. Snyder yourself to let him know Michigan should be putting its people and environment ahead of corporate interests. Click hereto find out how. 3. Join us at our rally in Lansing on Monday, Feb. 29th. The rally was supposed to be today, but was rescheduled due to the snow storm. Click hereto register and for more information. "Demand Clean Power Now!" Rally Rescheduled We had planned a rally on the steps of the state Capitol building to keep pressure on Gov. Snyder to go forward with the CPP. Unfortunately, the rally had to be postponed due to the weather has closing many state buildings and making travel hazardous. The rally has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 29th.  Click here to join us and for more information. Tell Gov. Snyder: Climate Can't Wait! Click here to call and/or email Gov. Snyder demanding that he protects public health and begins to address the continued poisoning of his state. Copyright (C) 2016 MICHIGAN UNITED All rights reserved.

www.miunited.org

Michigan United
4405 Wesson St.
Detroit MI 48210 United States

A Message from Sierra Club on the Flint Water Crisis

The man-made drinking water crisis in Flint has made international headlines. For more than a year, state officials -- from Gov. Snyder to his appointed Flint emergency managers to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality -- exposed an entire city to the risk of lead poisoning in their drinking water. It's a public health catastrophe with long-lasting consequences for the children under the age of six in Flint who will suffer neurological damage for the rest of their lives.

Sierra Club has been working to help the people of Flint but we need to do more.  Another organization doing good work in the city is the Genesee County Hispanic/Latino Collaborative, which is focusing on Flint's immigrant community, making sure that undocumented people have access to clean water, filters, and information. But they need financial support and volunteers.  If you can make a donation or a commitment of time, please consider contacting them today and offering them your support.

In the midst of this catastrophe, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter has been working to help in these ways:

• We oppose charging Flint residents for poisoned water, so we are keeping pressure on Gov. Snyder. The state--not Flint residents--should be paying for water poisoned by actions of the state.
   
• We are working with EPA Region 5 Acting Director Bob Kaplan to ensure that the EPA has support for implementing its emergency order requiring the state to act swiftly in restoring safe drinking water for Flint's residents, including replacing the city's dangerous lead pipes. Early on, we wrote to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting a Flint investigation. Within a few days of that letter, the EPA announced it would investigate, including assessing the actions of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
   
• Our Chapter Executive Committee appointed a former member of the EPA's national Safe Drinking Water Advisory Council, Cyndi Roper, to be the Chapter's volunteer representative on safe drinking water issues. It's clear we need to strengthen federal safe drinking water laws so fewer people--especially those in older communities with aging infrastructure--are exposed to lead.
   
• We have submitted comments to the EPA on a proposed new lead and copper drinking water rule and will continue to advocate for better laws and more infrastructure funding.
   
• Chapter staff and volunteers participated in a massive protest at the governor's State of the State address and issued a public statement on the situation in Flint.
   
• Our volunteer leaders met with the national president of Sierra Club, Aaron Mair, and came away with a strong commitment of support for Flint. President Mair also personally contributed $1,500 to help organizing efforts in the city.
   
• Our local Nepessing Group of Flint area volunteers has conducted public presentations explaining the Flint situation, distributing water and finding ways to recycle many single-use plastic bottles.

Our focus is on helping the people of Flint and holding the Snyder administration accountable for restoring safe drinking water to this struggling community. 

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Gail Philbin, Director
Sierra Club Michigan Chapter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SierraClubMichigan
Twitter: @MichiganSierra

MDEQ HOLDING PUBLIC HEARINGS ON NEW DRAFT FRACKING RULES

If you are concerned about Fracking in Michigan - then we need you to speak out now!  

The MDEQ is now accepting comments on their new draft rules for hydraulic fracturing.  The comment period ends on Thursday July 31.  There are two public hearings - one in Gaylord on Tuesday July 15, and one in Lansing on July 16.  Both are from 6:30-9:30PM.  Details are in the official Public Notice here:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-oogm-Part615-Revision-NOH2014_460477_7.pdf  

We need as many people as possible to attend these two hearings, and tell the DEQ:  

"These new rules don't make fracking any safer for Michigan; our air, water and communities are still at risk, and MDEQ needs to go much much further to protect us, or just stop allowing fracking."  

Would you be willing to go to one of the hearings, and help us to share that message?  

Won't you please join us?  Our attendance at these two hearings are one of the most direct ways we'll ever have of winning any positive changes in Michigan having to do with extracting fossil fuels.  If you live in an area of Michigan that has been subjected to new extreme hydraulic fracturing for natural gas or oil, then you have important input for the DEQ on their proposed rules.  Who better than you to tell them what it's like to live near one of these places?  

If you have any questions at all, let me know at rita.chapman@sierraclub.org.  

Thank you, I hope to hear from you!    

Rita Chapman

Sierra Club Michigan Chapter

Call Now on Dangerous Industrial By-Product Bills Up for Vote in MI Senate!

Michigan Chapter Update

Last week the Michigan Senate Natural Resources Committee approved House Bills 5400-5402 which will expand the reuse of coal ash and other potentially hazardous industrial byproducts.  These dangerous materials would be used as construction fill, foundational material for roads, or soil conditioner for farm fields!  This could result in heavy metals and other contaminants leaching into the surrounding soil and ground water.  This is absolutely unacceptable for Michigan where we depend on a thriving outdoor recreation and tourism industry, not to mention our responsibility as stewards to one-fifth of the world's fresh water. 

Please call your State Senator today and tell them that this legislation is bad for Michigan and tell them to vote NO on House Bills 5400-5402. You can find your legislator's contact info here.

Years of Living Dangerously - Series Premiere: Sun., Apr 13, 10 PM

For those of you who have access to Showtime, starting Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. EST, they will start airing a 9 part series titled "Years of Living Dangerously" produced by James Cameron (Titanic fame). It's being done in a '60 Minutes' type format. The hope is, it will jolt people into action when they see how climate change is  impacting peoples lives around the world. We can only hope... Tune in if you can.

TAKE ACTION NOW! Natural gas rig collapsing in Gulf of Mexico

Dear Friend, President Obama -- It's time to move beyond natural gas. Photo Credit: Louisiana Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Two well blow-outs on natural gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico in two weeks? This is outrageous! After a well blow-out on Tuesday, a fire started and continues to burn out-of-control just 60 miles from the Louisiana shore. The good news is that the 44 crew members were all safely evacuated. The bad news is that natural gas continues to leak from the well, firefighting vessels have not been able to get close enough to put out the fire 1, and the well has partially collapsed 2. Will you tell President Obama that natural gas is another dirty, dangerous fossil fuel? Natural gas should not play a role in our country's energy future. If President Obama moves forward with a plan to replace coal with natural gas, it means more fracking in our communities, on our public lands, and off our coasts. Although it is too early tell what kind of environmental damage this well blow-out and fire have caused, we already know the impact of fracking in communities across the country -- polluted air, poisoned water, and more climate pollution. Instead of more fracking, we need to double down on clean energy like wind and solar. Send your message today. Drilling for natural gas, whether on land or in the Gulf of Mexico, is not the solution to meet our country's energy needs. Thanks for all that you do, Deb Nardone Director, Beyond Natural Gas Campaign Sierra Club P.S. Please share this email with your friends, family, and colleagues. References: 1. McGill, Kevin. "Gas well in the Gulf continues to burn", USA Today, 7/24/2013. 2. Fowler, Tom and Snider, Alison. 'Gas-Drilling Rig Begins to Implode in Gulf of Mexico", Wall Street Journal, 7/24/2013.