Last week, after months of tireless advocacy by many citizens and groups, Governor Gretchen Whitmer struck a monumental deal with the Michigan legislature to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill. The legislation totals $4.7 billion to upgrade Michigan’s failing infrastructure and uses both federal and state general fund dollars. The deal includes $1.7 billion for drinking water and wastewater system improvements, $450 million for state and local parks, over $90 million for electric vehicles and public transit and $50 million for energy efficiency and health improvements. The $450 million for parks is the single largest investment in land in Michigan’s history.
Unfortunately, DTE did sneak in a $25 million "Low Carbon Facilities Fund” as an effort to get taxpayer money for gas expansion, something the Sierra Club will continue to push back on. Overall, this bill is a win for the climate, jobs, economy and families, at a time when everyone most needs it. This is a reversal in the trend of disinvestment in infrastructure seen from Lansing. But no one can let this be a one-time deal. Going forward, Michigan needs this level of commitment to ongoing infrastructure upgrades.
The new deal includes:
$1.7 billion in funding for clean water projects, providing loans for local communities to replace lead service lines, address emerging contaminants and allocate extra assistance to small and disadvantaged communities like Benton Harbor struggling with water contamination
$317 million for road and bridge projects, including $237.5 million for state trunkline construction and $79.2 million for local roads
$200 million in federal funds for local parks and trails, including $60 million for recreational greenways in Detroit, $55 million for greenways in Grand Rapids, $20 million for tourism and sports programs in northern Michigan and $65 million for other park grants
Another $250 million in federal funds to help improve, repair and maintain state parks, recreation areas and trails
$200 million for the Four Lakes Task Force that had agreed to buy Midland-area dams that failed in 2020 and led to massive flooding, along with another $15 million for inspection and review of the dam failures
$121.4 million in federal funding for homeowner assistance funds to help prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, utility or internet service loss or homeowner displacement because of financial hardship after January 21, 2020
$383 million in federal funding for COVID-19 rental assistance to support low-income residents who experienced "significant financial hardship" during the pandemic
$66 million for highway pump-station backup generators, as proposed by the Whitmer administration to fight the kind of flooding that led to highway closures last summer in Metro Detroit
$50 million for energy efficiency, health and safety improvements in low-income communities
$25 million for electric vehicle (EV) industry support and pilot programs
$250 million in statewide broadband service grants
$66 million for public transportation programs
Check out Sierra Club’s full statement here. A full analysis of the bill can be found here.
Haddasah Greensky at the May 2021 Enbridge Eviction event in Mackinaw City. Photo provided by GreenSky.
Haddasah GreenSky's Article "Big Oil in the Mackinac Straits Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen" Pushes for Change
"An elder woman from my tribe once recounted an Anishinaabek prophecy to me: a black snake would come to our land and try to poison our waters, but would end up uniting our people as never before. This has come to pass. In an unprecedented action, all twelve Federally recognized tribes in Michigan came together to write a joint letter to President Joe Biden, arguing that Enbridge’s black snake under the straits violates treaties that the United States made with us, as sovereign nations, when they forced us to cede our land."
Excerpted from "Big Oil in the Mackinac Straits Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen," by Hadassah GreenSky, an Anishinaabe (Little Traverse Bay Band Odawa) citizen and the Detroit coordinator of Oil and Water Don’t Mix. GreenSky’s piece is in the Dispatches from the Frontlines, stories directly from the leaders fighting—and winning—the battle for a fossil-free future. The dispatches are published by Equation Campaign in collaboration with The Nation. Equation Campaign is a ten-year initiative funding movements on the ground to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Read more Dispatches here.
Take Action: The Great Lakes are worth protecting. Contact Julie Geisinger at julie.geisinger@sierraclub.org to stay up to date on the fight to shut down Line 5 or to get more involved.
East Lansing Community Solar site. Photo by Anne Woiwode.
Countering Misinformation About Solar Panels
While some people have concerns about the safety of solar panels, much of the concern is based on a distortion of facts. For example, a common misconception is that solar panels do not poison the ground. In fact, they do not. Solar panels are constructed similarly to car windshields or hurricane glass so that the materials inside will remain intact. This rugged construction has been used for many years and explains why manufacturers can give a 25-year power production guarantee.
Solar arrays have been remarkably resistant to weather damage even during hurricanes. Inspections in New Jersey and New York following the massively destructive Hurricane Sandy in 2012 found only minor damage to the many large-scale solar facilities there. Zero damage was reported by one solar-tracker manufacturer to their numerous systems following Hurricane Matthew, which hit the Caribbean and parts of the U.S. in 2016.
Some solar panels contain toxic materials such as lead. However, it would take 750 solar panels to equal the amount of lead in one car battery. Manufacturers use lead for soldering but many are moving away from lead solder. Real-life situations demonstrate that solar panels are built to keep the lead intact. Car accidents pose a much greater risk of releasing lead to the environment.
Other claims are that cadmium releases from solar panels pose a health risk. However, cadmium telluride, not pure cadmium, is used in solar panels. Cadmium tellurides is a very stable compound and poses a negligible toxic risk to people. In addition, the cadmium telluride is also encased in glass similar to hurricane glass. Solar power is frequently replacing coal-fired power plants. Coal ash contains cadmium as well as mercury, lead and arsenic and is a significant toxic risk to people. 130 million tons of coal ash is produced in the U.S. each year and much of it is not properly stored, leading to releases to the environment.
Sierra Club hosted the virtual 2022 Green Your Neighborhood Forum last week with Friends of the Rouge. Keynote speaker, Torri Smith, Michigan Mellon design fellow at the University of Michigan, presented innovative architectural concepts that aim to address systemic and structural racism through natural design. Watch the recording here.
When connected to a downspout, rain barrels help protect the Great Lakes by reducing stormwater runoff. Join Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and MI Rain Barrel on Saturday, April 30 for Rain Barrels on the Riverfront at Gabriel Richard Park (7130 E Jefferson, Detroit MI 48207). Rain barrels will be available for the discounted price of $65 and must be pre-ordered. This is a curbside pickup event. For more information and to purchase, click here.
The Michigan Sierra Club is Hiring the Next Chapter Director
The Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club seeks a caring, collaborative individual to lead a talented and committed team as chapter director. Strong candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to the values of equity, inclusion and justice, as well as demonstrated leadership, personnel management and organizational skills.
Experience and aptitude for working within nonprofit, volunteer-led organizations, including experience managing a budget and administrative tasks associated with directing a nonprofit organization, are crucial. Sense of humor required.
One of the easiest ways to support Sierra Club’s work is to donate a used vehicle so it can be turned into a financial donation that will go toward protecting Michigan's environment. CARS is an organization that works with the Sierra Club Foundation to pick up donated cars, trucks, trailers, boats, RVs, motorcycles and off-road vehicles and turn them into support for the mission of the Michigan Chapter to move toward a cleaner and greener future.
Start spring cleaning today! It’s quick and easy to reduce environmental impacts, support the charitable programs of the Michigan Sierra Club and receive a tax deduction. The donation process is straightforward: CARS handles everything from the pick up of the vehicle to the sale.
Earth Day Celebration in Grand Haven in 2017 (l). Original Earth Day button from 1970 (r). File photos.
Explore and Enjoy: Get Ready for Earth Day, April 23, 2022
The first Earth Day in 1970 came during a time of deep concern about the future, not too different from today. Earth Day 2022, more than half a century later, is a time to both celebrate the progress made and recommit to the fight for the planet. A better understanding of the environmental and societal challenges today also gives a clearer sense of the opportunities to take constructive action that makes a difference through advocacy and personal commitments to take steps to make a difference.
Look for local Earth Day events to participate in or plan a cleanup and educational event to invite neighbors to participate. More Earth Day activities will be shared in the next Michigan Chapter Update so check back for ways to get involved.
Earth Day Lakeshore Celebration: Grand Haven, April 23
To participate or for more info on any of the events below contact Jan at jan.oconnell@sierraclub.org or 616-956-6646 or click the Facebook event page here.
