Re: Anti-DEQ and State of the State action alerts to share with friends

3 views
Skip to first unread message

Roger Rayle

unread,
Jan 25, 2018, 12:19:13 PM1/25/18
to Bentley Johnson, SRSW admin
It's not just a  fox-guarding-the-henhouse situation... it's let's allow the foxes to reconstruct the henhouse with doors that open under foxes' control.

We saw some of this earlier with the Snyder administration's Collaborative Stakeholder Initiative which were sponsored by polluters and overwhelming represented by polluters, their lobbyists and lawyers...  to see who's being served... here's a link if you can't find the CSI info by searching the DEQ website...  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzSYF0FH8viaQkZyMEpYWV9KeXM 

Now: why should the corporations have to slog through meetings with a few environmentally-minded citizens & DEQ staff and pay for these retreats to influence the rules when, under the proposed bills, they can just make the rules themselves without having to weigh the concerns of the public?

--Roger--

Roger Rayle
chair, Scio Residents for Safe Water (SRSW.org)




On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 11:05 AM, Bentley Johnson <ben...@michiganlcv.org> wrote:
Good morning, two important items for you:

1) Right now the State Senate is gearing up to vote on bills that would defer critical decisions -- that should be made by the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality -- to unelected, unaccountable individuals with a financial stake in the very industries they would be charged with regulating. These bills give real and complete authority to approving, changing, or denying environmental rules as well as overturn any and all DEQ permit decisions. It is truly a fox-guarding-the-henhouse situation to have regulated industries set Michigan's environmental rules. Click and share the following link to Urge Your Senator to Vote No on SB 652, 653, and 654. 

2) You may have watched Gov. Snyder's speech or seen some post-State of the State coverage. While Gov. Snyder did mention water infrastructure, invasive species, recycling and other environmental issues, we did not see the bold "Marshall plan" for water that is necessary to solve the water crisis across the state. The following link takes you MLCV action alert page that urges Gov. Snyder for a comprehensive, "all hands on deck" plan and action for drinking water and the Great Lakes. If you didn't get the actual action alert email from Lisa Wozniak, I can forward that to you too, but here is the link to the actual web page where you can send Gov. Snyder a message.

Let me know if you are interested (or know someone that would be interested) in authoring an op-ed or LTE (or even a video!) on these issues -- we can help with the heavy lifting. Thanks for your time.

-Bentley

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bentley Johnson <ben...@michiganlcv.org>
Date: Tue, Jan 23, 2018 at 3:18 PM
Subject: What to look for in Snyder's last State of the State -- all hands on deck for water
To: Bentley Johnson <ben...@michiganlcv.org>


Dear champion for Michigan's water,

I'm just sending along an email and "activist kit" that can be used before or after tonight's State of the State address to emphasize the need to safeguard our water in Michigan. Feel free to share this message, or any pieces of it, with your networks. 

One other favor: please have a phenomenal day.

-Bentley

_____________________

Inline image 1

Michigan League of Conservation Voters is joining with Michigan voices from across the state to urge Gov. Snyder to use his final "State of the State" address tonight to shine a spotlight on the monumental challenges facing our water.


We'll be especially paying close attention to what he says about clean water -- water quality is the issue that will define Gov. Snyder's legacy, and it's not too late to take bold steps and protect Michigan's water.


Yesterday we urged Gov. Snyder to use the State of the State to shine a spotlight on the monumental challenges facing our water.


Some of the water-related topics we'll be tracking include groundwater contamination (from chemicals like PFAS and TCE that we've seen around the state), raw sewage overflow, the oil spill threat from Line 5, and harmful algae blooms.


We hope the Governor will also talk about a plan to pay for the clean up thousands of toxic sites across the state, as well as strong requirements to remove drinking water pipes made of lead.


Given the scale of the problem, you would think that Lansing would be taking bold action -- unfortunately, we've seen the opposite. In fact, some in the state legislature have even proposed weakening the authority of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and prohibiting the State of Michigan from setting any standards that would be more protective than the federal level.


That's why it's so important for the Governor to present a bold vision for protecting our water and call on the legislature to take action.


Below we've included some core messages around water and the State of the State, with some ways to get involved and some more background information. Feel free to share with your partners and allies.


Yours in conservation,


Bentley Johnson

Partnerships Manager

Michigan League of Conservation Voters


State of the State Activist Kit -- "All Hands on Deck" to Protect Our Water

CONTENTS

  • Core Messages

  • Ways to Make Your Voice Heard

  • Upcoming Events

  • Background Articles


“Gov. Snyder has called for a Marshall Plan for talent – what we also need is a Marshall Plan for water to address the looming threats to our drinking water, Great Lakes, rivers and streams,” said Lisa Wozniak, executive director of Michigan LCV. “Challenges to Michigan’s drinking water, from dangerous lead pipes to toxic groundwater must be addressed, and we are demanding Gov. Snyder take action and protect the health of Michigan families during his last year in office.”


CORE MESSAGES


1.  In Michigan, water is part of our culture and our way of life, and we need Gov. Snyder to make water a top priority in 2018, not an afterthought. 


2.  Our Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers, streams and our drinking water face a monumental challenge in 2018, and it’s time for Gov. Snyder to work with lawmakers on a plan to fix Michigan’s water issues.


  • Forty-five percent of our citizens get their drinking water from a private or municipal well, and families across the state, from northern Michigan to Rockford, are grappling with their groundwater wells being contaminated from decades-old industrial solvents.

  • There are an estimated half-million lead service lines across our state, impacting communities like Monroe, Bay City, Benton Harbor and Holland Township -- and of course Detroit and Flint.

  • It is estimated that millions of gallons of raw sewage leak into our drinking water sources every year due to failing septic systems, and coal burning power plants spew dangerous chemicals into our waterways, including mercury.


3.  Gov. Snyder said we need a Marshall Plan for talent, but what we really need is a Marshall Plan for water to address the looming threats to our drinking water, Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers and streams.


4. Our economy and way of life depend on the Great Lakes, and our children’s health depends on clean drinking water. The threat to safe, clean drinking water for every Michigan family is real and will not be tackled without tough decisions and bipartisan cooperation.


5. Gov. Snyder and the Michigan Legislature must take action to protect our Great Lakes and sources of drinking water, replace lead pipes, and help citizens test and replace their wells or septic systems. 



WAYS TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD


  1. Spread the word to your friends on social media:


Share on Facebook (sample posts)


Our economy and way of life depend on clean water, and it’s time for Governor Snyder and the Michigan Legislature to take bold action to fix our water infrastructure and protect the health of Michigan families. #MISOTS


Governor Snyder says we need a Marshall Plan for talent, but we also need a Marshall Plan for water to address the looming threats to our drinking water, Great Lakes, inland Lakes, rivers and streams. #MISOTS



Share on Twitter (sample tweets)


Water will define @onetoughnerd’s #legacy. He must work with lawmakers on a bold plan to fix our water infrastructure.  #MISOTS #MIWater


 .@onetoughnerd must make clean drinking water a top priority for his last year in office. We need to fix our water infrastructure #MISOTS #MIWater #MIGov


Three years after the #Flintwatercrisis communities across MI are still struggling with drinking water issues. @onetoughnerd needs to work with lawmakers on a plan to fix drinking water infrastructure in 2018 #MISOTS #MIWater


2. Find your elected officials:


    1. You can find contact information for your State Senator or State Representative on the Michigan League of Conservation Voters website: http://michiganlcv.org/at-the-capitol/find-your-elected-officials/



UPCOMING WATER-RELATED EVENTS

BACKGROUND ARTICLES






Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages