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Michigan Currents | Spring 2013
michigan currents
Inside
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2012 Victories
- From the State Director
- Great Lake Award Celebration
- Water Protection Agenda
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Push Pause on Fracking
- Wind Win
- Clean Air
- Built By Michigan
- Coal Ash
- We Heart Lake St. Clair!
- Clean Energy Now!
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2012 Victories
2012 was a successful year for Clean Water Action. Clean Water Action members helped win more protections for Michigan’s Great Lakes and natural resources from harmful pollution and advanced the fight for clean energy. Despite a few setbacks, it is clear that people want the state to move toward a clean energy future with more jobs and better health for their families and our environment. Clean Water Action is leading the charge — and Clean Water Action members will continue to make the difference in 2013.
In the past year, Clean Water Action elected dozens of clean water leaders to the state legislature and Congress, protected Lake St. Clair from storm water runoff, supported Michigan innovation in auto technology, built a broad base of clean energy supporters, and worked to protect the Great Lakes from fracking.
Priorities for 2013 include fighting to boost Michigan’s economy, protect Michigan’s health and environment for future generations by pushing for changes to the state’s energy policy, holding elected leaders accountable, and giving a voice to local communities facing threats from pollution. Read MoreIs There a Leaking Coal Ash Landfill in Your Community?
Map: Coal Ash Disposal Locations in Michigan: Click to EnlargeCoal ash, the toxic waste left over when coal is burned to create electricity, is contaminating Michigan’s Great Lakes, ground and surface water, air and land. You can find it leaking from landfills and storage ponds across the state. We have found at least eleven proven cases of coal ash contamination in Michigan. Find out if your community is being affected by coal ash here!
Coal ash contains a toxic mix of substances known to be hazardous, including heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, lead, and selenium. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that a community’s cancer rate is as high as one in fifty when drinking water is polluted with arsenic. Lead, mercury, and other heavy metals in coal ash may also cause developmental disabilities in children. We’re leading the fight to protect our communities from coal ash – will you join us?
Act Now on Climate Change!
Remember when President Obama called on us to make sure the United States is leading the fight for clean energy? We’re doing just that by urging the President to move forward and take strong action to address climate change. But we need you - sign our Clean Air petition!
Say No to Weaker Coal Ash Protections!
Coal ash contains dangerous chemicals like arsenic, mercury and lead that can leak from storage sites and pollute the environment. Coal ash pollution has been known to cause cancer and neurological deficiencies in humans and deformities in fish. We need protections to be as strong as possible - Email your legislators today!
News coverage of our opposition here, here, and here.
Protect Michigan's Waters from Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracking or simply fracking, is a new method of drilling and extracting natural gas from geologic shale. The process, however, is not without its risks - particularly from contamination to groundwater and drinking water supplies.
Fixing Michigan's Diesel Problem
Diesel engines are the workhorses of our economy, found in everything from ships and trains to school and city buses, construction and agricultural vehicles, long-haul trucks and many other vehicles that keep our economy humming. However, the black exhaust that pours out of diesel vehicles is a silent killer, contributing to 21,000 early deaths in the United States each year.
Lake St. Clair | Help Keep It Clean
- Lake St. Clair is often referred to as the heart of the Great Lakes, due to both its shape and position within the Great Lakes system. It is an important recreational, commercial, and aesthetic resource for nearly six million residents on both sides of the border. However, this vital and unique connecting waterway is being threatened by the harmful effects of stormwater runoff pollution.