Well, I see Michigan continues to fall behind in the area of leadership on the environment. Continuously touting itself as The Great Lakes State, it's now fallen behind yet another state in making important progress in adopting the Great Lakes Compact. Indiana's State Senate is the latest legislative body in the region to pass the thing, and passed it unanimously.
Yes, Indiana ... the same Indiana that last year was going to let BP dump a bunch more polluted sludge into Lake Michigan. That Indiana is further along in protecting the Great Lakes than is the Great Lakes state. And, how did they get it done? Good question ... I have an answer:
Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield, said both the state's business community and environmentalists have expressed "overwhelming support" for her bill.
I realize that in the past, there have those who've brayed on about how adopting the Great Lakes Compact would cause the moon to fall from its orbit and the oceans to boil, but apparently in other states they've figured out that the Great Lakes mean something, mean something important, and further mean something important to their economy.
Many have endorsed the new primary date with the rational that “Michigan’s issues” were on display in the national sphere, and that the media and candidates would have to start addressing the issues that are important to Michigan voters rather than just those important to New Hampshire and Iowa. The question is: did this really come to fruition? Did the candidates, Republican or Democrat, address real Michigan issues, or just give the same superficial stump speeches that would work in any state? CNN, Fox News, and every other media outlet have been hammering Michigan for having the highest unemployment rate in the country, citing the legacy of the auto industry contractions of the past decade or so. And what happens after they mention the Big Three? Commercial break before the next story. The same goes for the candidates who campaigned here. John McCain and Mitt Romney got into a tussle over Romney’s desire to bring auto jobs back and McCain’s view that we need to create new jobs. Beyond that, silence. The rest of their speeches were simply modified stump speeches, the same things they said in South Carolina and New Hampshire. Great Lakes protection? Urban sprawl? Education reform? Health care? Mortgage crisis? Where are these issues in the debates? Michigan, with its gorgeous environment threatened by urban expansion and falling lake levels, some of its schools among the worst in the nation, millions of uninsured, and thousands upon thousands who have already or are in danger of losing their homes, is more diverse than car company jobs. It will take a lot more than a snap primary to force candidates to address these controversial yet vital issues here.
(Need a clear picture of what agricultural runoff is doing to our Great Lakes? - promoted by JPowers155)
What does agricultural runoff and soil erosion do to the Great Lakes?
It does this....
....as evidenced by our recent snowmelt and precipitation events.
This is imagery from 18:35 UTC today (about 1:30 PM EST) showing Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. (Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project at NASA/GSFC.)
The image shows widescale turbidity pollution of both lakes from runoff from Ontario, Michigan, Ohio and New York. Notable on the photo: Turbidity from the Thames and Sydenham Rivers in Ontario dominates most of Lake St. Clair. The Western Lake Erie basin gets turbidty inputs from the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers, the Raison River and from SW Ontario runoff. The middle and eastern basins of Lake Erie get large amounts of turbidity, notably from near shore runoff in Ohio and Ontario.
There's a great debate heating things up in the Michigan legislature, and the giant power companies are hoping that Michigan's citizens will stay in the dark - so they can saddle the state with more coal plants. This fight for clean energy in Michigan has been brewing for a while now, and the power companies are pushing hard for more costly out-dated coal technology without regard to its significant environmental impact on the Great Lakes State. They are also banking that consumers won't wake up to the fact that coal costs are skyrocketing and expected to soar even further in the years to come.
The tide is starting to turn. You can help in the effort to stop the 'coal rush' and push the state in the direction of clean renewable energy by watching a new YouTube video and then taking action at http://progressmichigan.org/coal. The take action is in support of Clean Energy Now's campaign to stop more dirty coal-fired power plants from locating in Michigan. The state could see as many as seven new dirty coal-fired power plants unless the Legislature stands up to powerful coal and energy corporations and starts investing in more clean, renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.
Knock me over with a feather, Rogers sent me an environmental update. Of course, with Rogers, not all is as it seems. He writes to update me about recent action to protect the Great Lakes.
He "fully supports this legislation" However, he is concerned that it doesn't go far enough. He wants stronger protections, like requiring ships to meet the IMO ballast rules. But isn't that the problem? Aren't the IMO too weak or difficult to enforce, causing this problem to get worse. I also smell a rat from the shipping industry who most likely want to see this legislation stalled or killed. I posted the entire letter below for comment.
Yes, you read that title right - I'm happy that it's cold out, really, truly happy. Call me strange, but while I love all four seasons for their own reasons, my absolute favorite day of the year is when you step outside only to have the wind knocked out of you because it's just so cold. Don't get me wrong, when it's like that it usually causes me to cough/wheeze a couple times afterwards, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't my favorite kind of day. Your next logical question may be "why?" and with good reason.
It makes me feel alive. Perhaps it's all I've been through, perhaps it's because I'm native Michigander, who knows. I think part of it maybe that it's Mother Nature's way of making sure we're awake. But the beauty that comes from a day like that, well it can be astounding. The trees and plants normally shimmer with ice or snow, the ground crunches as you step, and the air is just so crisp you can almost hear it snap.
Here in Lansing we got a healthy dose of snow on Monday. The sky was overcast, the roads slick and damp, and while most of the area was bemoaning the weather, all I could do was look out and be excited. Excited to dig out my boots, excited to have flannel sheets on my bed again, excited to experience a Michigan winter again.
I worry that even though I live in Michigan that someday soon I won't get anymore of my favorite days because of global warming. Just today I read again about water levels dropping to dangerous new lows in our Great Lakes, and that worries me. It also worries me that even in early November we experienced days in the 60 degree range. That's not normal for Michigan. Florida, yes, Michigan, no.
On that same note, I've got a confession to make...
Global warming could further damage Michigan's economy
This review posted on Good Morning Flint,Michigan USA http://goodmorningfl...
[Did you know..-trb]
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Michigan's carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels grew 4 percent between 1990 and 2004. Michigan ranked 10th nationwide for the most carbon dioxide emissions in 2004,...
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By the time a baby born today gets out of college around 2030, local summers may feel noticeably warmer, more like those in current-day Ohio, according to a recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, an independent scientific research and analysis group.
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By the time that newborn is a great-grandparent in 2095, a Michigan summer may feel like one in northern Arkansas today, with our winters milder and with little snow, like those now in Ohio.
By then, Michigan's average summer temperatures could be 5-10 degrees warmer in winter and 7-13 degrees hotter in summer, said the UCS report.
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The bad news: The Great Lakes themselves are at risk as shrinking winter ice results in more evaporation and lower lake levels.
"Michigan's primary feature is the Great Lakes, and that's where we'll feel our largest economic impact," said Kaufman. "It may affect shipping, recreation and tourism just for starters. And that's huge."
Local winter sports businesses are already feeling the heat.
Snowmobilers are driving farther north each year to find usable trails, said Michael Nord, owner of Nord-Ride Motorsports Inc. in Mt. Morris Township.
In just a few weeks, you and more than 50,000 other concerned citizens stood up for the Great Lakes by signing our online petition, telling BP to stop their plans to dump more toxic chemicals into Lake Michigan.
Clearly, BP heard your message.
On Thursday, CEO Bob Malone announced that BP was reversing its decision to increase dumping in Lake Michigan. This is a watershed moment for the Great Lakes and for all of us who have fought to protect and preserve Lake Michigan.
Thanks so much for helping us stop BP's plan to increase dumping in the Great Lakes!
Truth be told, when we launched our radio ads early this month -- urging listeners to sign our "Protect Our Lake" petition -- we never expected such a tremendous response. We've truly been overwhelmed by the response from you and 50,000 more people who share our concern for Lake Michigan.
In addition to supplying over 30 million Americans with drinking water, the Great Lakes feed rivers that flow throughout the continent and eventually to the sea. BP's plans to expand dumping into Lake Michigan affected us all, which is why so many of us took action and spoke out.
Increasing America's refining capacity to cost-effectively produce oil and gas is critical to keeping fuel costs low - as is increasing our efforts to seek alternative energy sources that diminish our country's reliance on foreign oil.
But BP finally figured out what we had said all along-economic development and protecting our environment can go hand in hand.
There is still more work to be done. The duty remains in our hands to ensure BP fulfills their promise. We must continue to fight to not just protect the Lakes, but also to improve their environmental health. While we keep working with our colleagues in Washington to restore the Great Lakes we need you to continue to join us in our fight.
Today we saw that real change is possible, and the agent of change was you. Thank you for your dedication to making sure that our Lakes are protected for future generations.
The manager of British Petroleum's Whiting, Indiana, refinery said Thursday that the company will not dump additional waste into Lake Michigan despite having the nessecary permits to do so.
Out of all the large multinational oil companies BP seems to go the greatest lengths to make itself appear environmentally sensitive. Their actions are proving that their ad slogan, "We make the World a little Better" is nothing more than empty PR rhetoric.
BP has recently received permission from the State of Indiana to substantially increase the amount of ammonia and toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead and nickel it can dump into the Great Lakes.
NPR's All Things Considered had an item yesterday about the proposed expansion of BP's Whiting, Indiana refinery, and the "firestorm of opposition" the plan is starting to generate.
I have the distinguished honor of hosting Coffee Talk on this eve of America's 231st birthday. I am subbing today and again later in the week. Why? It's not that the others are lazy; they're just out of town this week. (If they were lazy, we'd call them State Senate Republicans.)
AP: Democrats, environmentalists renew push to limit water diversions. Michigan would not be Michigan if not for our Great Lakes water!
AP: Auto Alliance backs House plan on fuel economy. "Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., an ally of the auto industry, wants to consider fuel efficiency standards in the fall when his Energy and Commerce Committee reviews climate change legislation."
WUOM: Governor unhappy with pace of budget talks. Not like any of us blame her. Of course, things would be going smoother if Senate Republicans weren't vacationing, giving us opportunities to take pictures of them and win $50.
DetNews: Governor's television ad to discuss business tax plan. Actually it's from the Michigan Democratic Party.
Lessenberry: Taxing Concerns. Jack discusses efforts to "tweak" the new Michigan Business Tax, and why new revenues are needed. He also interviewed State Treasurer Bob Kleine.
LSJ: Area's corn crop booming, thanks to ethanol demand. Good write-up from the LSJ. Now about that database...
Freep: Six Candidates yanked off ballot in Warren. Makes sense: If you don't pay your water bill, you don't deserve to run for city office. If only those who endanger America's national security weren't let off so easily...
MichiganFireworks.com - Want to take in some neat pyrotechnics? This site lists nearly 500 fireworks displays from tonight through December!
And finally, Michigan Liberal is pleased to endorse Lisa Simpson for President. Okay, not really. But if you go to the website and sign up to show your support, you help Lucy and a few others! Details here.
(Fight the pork chop factories, shop at your farmers market! - promoted by Eric B.)
Michigan Republican state Senators are poised Tuesday morning to enact a six bill package that will end water pollution permit requirements for most concentrated animal feeding operations -- factory farms -- in the State of Michigan.
Last week the Michigan Senate Agriculture Committee reported the six bill package on a party line vote. The principle deregulatory bill is being sponsored by Michigan State Senator Gerald Van Woerkam (R - Norton Shores). VanWoerkam is from the Muskegon area and only had 52% of the vote in the last election.
Please contact your Michigan Senator on Tuesday morning to let them know you opposed the CAFO deregulation package and Senate Bill 504 in particular. Find your Michigan Senator here:
