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Hundreds Flock to the MA State House for Clean Power
Climate deniers may have taken control of the White House, but here in Massachusetts - and states across the country - residents are pushing for clean power. The Mass Power Forward coalition, which Clean Water Action helps convene, recently held a lobby day to push for clean energy like wind and solar, promote environmental justice, push back against fracked gas pipeline expansion and secure just transition at shutting power plants like Pilgrim Nuclear.
The overwhelming turnout for a January day of action just shows how eager communities are to promote a responsible, renewable energy future
Working for a Septic System Solution
On Tuesday, January 31st, we had our first bill hearing for SB 266 - reinstating the requirement for Best Available Technology for all new septic systems in Maryland. This fall, Governor Hogan overturned the previous regulation that required that new septic systems treat their nitrogen pollution. Old systems do nothing to prevent the nitrogen from our waste from reaching our water. The new technology reduces nitrogen by 60%. This issue has become one of our largest legislative pushes this year because of the impact that septic systems have not only on the Chesapeake Bay but also the impact of
Michigan’s Outdated and Dangerous Combined Sewer Systems
Many of Michigan’s urban and suburban areas expanded rapidly between the 1920s and the 1950s — an era with different priorities for water management. Many of Michigan’s water systems were originally built as combined systems, meaning the pipes carried both stormwater and wastewater. These systems simply discharged all water directly into local lakes, rivers, and streams, without treatment. Wastewater treatment centers were built later, and the combined sewer pipes were redirected there for the water to be processed before being released back into the water table. Starting in the mid-1950s
Protecting Michigan’s Waters: Infrastructure for the Future
Michigan is the Great Lakes state. As such, Michigan residents are acutely aware of our duty to protect the Great Lakes and our water resources for future generations. There are currently many threats to our water here in Michigan. Most of these threats have been looming for years, but action on them has been pushed off, as our legislature procrastinates and ignores the problems instead of taking the hard steps that action requires.
The Flint water crisis brought the dangers of lead infrastructure and poor oversight from the state to the surface and a city was poisoned as a result. Every year
Michigan’s Aging Septic Systems
E. coli is a major bacterial pollutant in Michigan’s water. While E. coli is commonly talked about in reference to combined sewer overflows and large-scale agricultural operations, there is another major source of E. coli in our water that every state in the country other than Michigan has worked to eliminate — leaking and failing septic systems.
Michigan is currently the only state that does not require regular inspections of septic systems, and the problem is only getting worse with time. Septic systems are generally found in rural areas where municipal sewer systems don’t exist, or in older