The following statement can be attributed to Mary Brady-Enerson, Michigan Director, Clean Water Action:
“Today Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-28 to require water utilities to restore water service to all Michigan residents whose water has been shut off. Clean Water Action thanks Governor Whitmer for taking this important and potentially life-saving action. The Governor understands that having running water in your home is absolutely necessary to ensure all residents can protect themselves and their families and help “flatten the curve” during this unprecedented public health crisis.
We congratulate the frontline activists from the Peoples Water Board Coalition, We the People of Detroit, Flint Rising, and the numerous other water warriors and organizations who have been leading the fight to end water shut-offs and ensure that all Michiganders, regardless of income, have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. This crisis has truly highlighted how fundamental clean water is – and that all residents deserve the dignity of access to it.
The last step to ensure all Michigan residents have the clean water they need to wash their hands during the Covid-19 pandemic is to establish water distribution stations in all communities with high levels of water shut-offs until water service is fully restored. We applaud Governor Whitmer for her incredible leadership in response to this public health crisis and hope she will take that one last critical step as quickly as possible.”
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Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. Clean Water Action is Michigan’s largest grassroots conservation group with over 131,000 members across the state. Through direct advocacy and education we organize Michigan residents to protect the Great Lakes and our water resources. Learn more at www.cleanwateraction.org/mi