News

Giant Mobile Coal Plant, Ogre-like Smokestack Patty Lands on Legislature

Groups unleash accountability campaign to protect Michigan’s energy future

July 15, 2008 LANSING – With a 12-foot-tall effigy of Sen. Patty Birkholz and a 20-foot-tall inflatable coal plant looming over the State Capitol grounds, environmental watchdog groups today called on Michigan citizens to oppose a Senate-passed energy plan that will open the floodgates to more dirty coal plants and put a nail in the coffin of clean renewable energy in Michigan.

“Smokestack Patty Birkholz and her Senate coal industry stooges should start supporting clean renewable energy that can create good-paying Michigan jobs, not dirty coal plants that will send jobs and investments to other states,” Clean Water Action’s State Director Cyndi Roper said. “Clean renewable energy is the future. Michigan citizens will not stand idly by while Smokestack Patty and backward senators push energy policies that keep our state trapped in the energy Dark Ages.”

The Legislature is currently debating sweeping energy proposals and faces a choice on Michigan’s energy future: Investing in 21st century renewable energy and energy efficiency, or paving the way for more outdated coal. Senate action on Senate Bill 213 decisively drives the state toward more coal plants and away from renewable energy. Under the Senate plan, renewable energy standards were effectively gutted to the point of even including coal in the definition of renewable energy.

Clean Energy Now, a coalition of environmental and citizens’ watchdog groups, is calling on the Legislature to reverse course and urged citizens to send a letter to legislators urging them to reject dirty coal plants and support clean renewable energy. Citizens can send the letter by going to: www.smokestackpatty.com.

“Michigan is at a crossroads and faces a critical choice, and unfortunately Smokestack Patty and her Big Coal Stooges in the Senate are making the wrong choice in sending Michigan down the path of more dirty coal plants,” Sierra Club Executive Director Anne Woiwode said. “Coal costs have skyrocketed and even major banks are calling coal a bad investment. Despite all these warning signs, the Senate is choosing coal over 21st century renewable energy – and that means a big price we will all pay for generations to come.”

Kansas and Georgia are among many states that have cracked down on the construction of more coal plants. Around 60 new coal plant projects across the nation have been abandoned because of the high costs. Michigan, however, is alone in the nation in actually facing eight new coal plants – unless the Legislature chooses to invest in clean renewable energy.

The Senate is paving the way for more outdated coal-burning plants in passing a backward-looking energy plan that guts renewable energy, kills energy efficiency programs and opens the door to the construction of more coal plants in Michigan. Birkholz is the architect of the Senate plan, with support from Majority Leader Mike Bishop and others that have been widely denounced by opinion leaders and the news media.

"At a time when we should be moving Michigan forward towards a clean energy future, the Senate took a giant step backwards. Requiring a mere 7% renewable energy by 2015 and loopholes big enough to drive a Hummer through is not enough for Michigan to reap the benefits of the renewable energy sector, said Abby Rubley, Policy Director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. We will not see the jobs, we will not protect the health of the citizens of Michigan by reducing CO2 emissions and we will not protect our most valuable natural resources – the Great Lakes."

Clean Energy Now called on the legislature to increase investments in clean renewable energy because it has proven to be one of the top drivers of economic growth globally and creates more jobs than outdated coal projects. Worldwide, clean energy projects account for $100 billion in new economic activity, according to the Department of Energy. Michigan stands to gain 45,000 new good-paying jobs if it invests in 21st century renewable projects and energy efficiency, according to the Renewable Energy Project and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

“Michigan is getting left behind while other states and countries are attracting jobs and investments, thanks to the Senate’s short-sighted, backward energy plan,” said Terry Miller, Executive Director for Lone Tree Council. “Clean renewable energy means clean Michigan energy and good-paying Michigan jobs. Unless the Senate reverses course and starts making the right choice of investing in clean renewable energy, Michigan will lose out on a tremendous opportunity to create jobs, protect our Great Lakes and move our economy forward.”

The mobile inflatable coal plant and the giant effigy of Smokestack Patty made its first appearance in Lansing, with possible stops in other communities in the near future to warn citizens about the consequences of the Senate-passed plan and the dangers of saddling the state with more coal for generations to come.

Groups participating in today’s press conference include: Anne Woiwode, executive director of the Sierra Club; Cyndi Roper, state director of Clean Water Action; Terry Miller of Lone Tree Council, which is opposing coal plants slated for Midland and Bay City; Rachel Hood, executive director of West Michigan Environmental Council; Patty Gillis of Voices for Earth Justice; Abby Rubley, policy director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters; Dan Farough, executive director of Progress Michigan.

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Agreement scores new, concrete protections for Michigan water resources

Bipartisan pact not perfect, but a key win for Michigan’s citizens; earns endorsement from Great Lakes, Great Michigan coalition

June 23, 2008 Lansing, MI -- A bipartisan agreement announced today establishes important and concrete protections for Michigan’s streams and makes water conservation an integral part of the state’s water stewardship efforts.

The deal, reached after years of negotiation and research, was endorsed today by Great Lakes, Great Michigan – a coalition of more than 70 civic, environmental, business and sporting organizations.

“This package is a signal of the legislature’s commitment to protecting our world-class water resources,” said James Clift of the Michigan Environmental Council. “With other states and nations increasingly eyeing Great Lakes water for diversion or profit, it is critical we double our effort to protect and preserve our water for future generations.”

The bipartisan compromise left some shortcomings, but keeps intact core principles:

      Approves the eight-state Great Lakes Compact against large scale water diversions (Michigan is the 7th state to approve it)

     Ensures that users do not excessively harm aquatic resources by taking too much water

     Adopts conservation principles to be utilized by water users

     Adds public input into decisions about large-scale water uses that might impact local ecosystems

“Yesterday, not a drop of Michigan’s precious water was adequately protected from withdrawal or diversion,” said Dr. Grenetta Thomassey of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. “With these laws, 75 percent of streamflows are safe from being siphoned away; and the remainder are subject to rules ensuring availability to business, industry, farmers, and citizens for reasonable use.”

Michigan is the only state entirely within the Great Lakes watershed, which contains almost 20 percent of the planet’s fresh surface water. Increasing demand for fresh water is expected to ratchet up pressure to divert water from the watershed, where it would be lost forever to the Great Lakes system.

Recent months have seen notables including a Democratic presidential candidate and Ohio’s lieutenant governor suggest that water might be siphoned from the lakes.

“We have no intention of letting our water be taken to subsidize sprawl in Atlanta or irrigate golf courses in Arizona,” said Gayle Miller of the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter. “This is a firm step toward saying, ‘no’.”

The legislation uses a combination of a new scientific geographic information system-based water withdrawal assessment tool along with other criteria to determine whether large-scale water withdrawals within the state are harmful.

“To our knowledge, no other state in the country is using science to protect water resources in this way; and no state has protected as much of their water resources as we are doing with these laws,” said Clift. “This is a pioneering effort.”

Great Lakes, Great Michigan coalition members said they would regroup in coming months to fight for additional protections not included in the package.

“We are extremely disappointed that the legislature failed to strengthen our important public trust protections, which affirms that water is a public resource that belongs to Michiganders and not to corporations or profit-takers,” said Cyndi Roper of Clean Water Action. “We intend to revisit this issue.”

Other tweaks, such as adjusting allowable streamflow reductions in certain types of rivers, may also be necessary in the future.

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NMU’s Dirty Coal Plant Wrong for U.P., Michigan

Group files appeal today to fight tooth and nail to stop backward coal plant, which puts U.P., Michigan at risk

June 12, 2008 LANSING – Sierra Club today announced that it will fight every step of the way to stop the construction of an outdated coal plant to be built at Northern Michigan University by calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to overturn an earlier decision approving the project.

“Universities should lead into the future, not cling to the past, and Northern Michigan should embrace clean, 21st-Century energy technology, not dirty coal plants from the 19th Century,” Michigan Sierra Club State Director Anne Woiwode said. “We urge Northern Michigan University to abandon this wrong-headed plan to build an outdated dirty coal plant that will threaten our ability to attract jobs of the future. We urge Northern Michigan to lead by example and prepare our students for a 21st-Century economy.”

An official appeal was filed today with the Environmental Protection Agency seeking to overturn the decision by Governor Granholm’s Department of Environmental Quality to approve a permit for NMU. Sierra Club also said it will reach out to NMU President Leslie Wong and University leaders to abandon the coal plant.

“NMU should look to the future, not the past, and more coal plants send the wrong signal to our students and to job providers,” Progress Michigan Executive Director Dan Farough said. “NMU should invest in renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass, not fossil fuels like coal. We need to create jobs in renewable energy and break our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Clean Michigan energy equals good-paying Michigan jobs today and into the future.”

The Northern Michigan proposal is part of an unprecedented blitz of up to eight coal plants seeking to locate in Michigan. Over 60 other coal plant proposals have been turned down across the nation as states turn away from outdated energy sources and invest in cutting-edge clean energy technology.

Sierra Club, along with a statewide coalition, Clean Energy Now, recently unveiled an online petition calling on Gov. Jennifer Granholm to use her executive authority to stop the construction of more outdated coal plants, until Michigan has established a clean energy plan that prioritizes 21st century energy like wind, solar and biomass. To sign the petition, go to www.michigancleanenergynow.com.

“Governor Granholm is talking about Michigan doing its fair share to cut global warming and invest in clean energy jobs – but her rhetoric is not matched by her actions,” said Woiwode. “Her Administration is proposing to approve more dirty coal plants and more new sources of global warming pollution than any other state in the Nation. Governor Granholm should follow the courageous lead of Governors Sebelius (D-KS), Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Crist (R-FL) and say dirty coal has no place in her state.”

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DEQ Approval of Coal Plant in U.P. Sends Michigan Backwards

New permit shows Michigan must do more to crack down on CO2, create clean energy jobs

LANSING – Clean Energy Now, a coalition of environmental and watchdog groups, today criticized the state’s approval of a new coal plant in the Upper Peninsula, saying the plan sends Michigan backward in the race to build a strong energy future. In addition to this new plant, slated to be built at Northern Michigan University, as many as six more coal plants could be built in Michigan in the coming years.

“Michigan must invest in more renewable clean energy, not dirty coal plants, and allowing more coal plants sends Michigan backward,” Michigan Sierra Club State Director Anne Woiwode said. “Clean Michigan energy means good-paying Michigan jobs, and that’s where we should invest – not more coal plants that threaten Lake Superior and our other Great Lakes, our land, our health and our quality of life.”

Clean Energy Now repeated its call for Gov. Jennifer Granholm to make carbon dioxide a factor in whether the state approves permits for future coal plants by issuing an executive directive that directs the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to protect against carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired and other power generating plants as a greenhouse gas pollutant. The petition also asks the governor to direct the MDEQ to factor these CO2 emissions for all air quality permit decisions for coal plants.

“Michigan is the Great Lakes State, but if we keep building more coal plants, we’ll become the Great CO2 State,” Progress Michigan Executive Director Dan Farough said. “Coal plants harm our economy, our environment, and our ability to compete for jobs and investments.”

Early in 2007, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius invoked a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in directing the state’s environmental agency to consider the negative impact of global warming CO2 emissions in air quality permit decisions for coal-burning power plants. Other states such as Minnesota are following suit. The Kansas action was the first time a

Governor had invoked a Supreme Court ruling to crack down on CO2 pollution and comes as 63 other coal plants have been turned down or halted across country.

While other states are turning away from coal-burning, Michigan faces the construction of up to seven coal-fired plants that will unleash dangerous greenhouse gases.

Clean Energy Now recently unveiled an online petition calling on the Governor to use her executive authority to stop the construction of more outdated coal plants, until Michigan has established a clean energy plan that prioritizes 21st century energy like wind, solar and biomass.

To sign the petition, go to www.micleanenergy.now.com.

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Thousands of Feet Point Lansing toward Smaller Carbon Footprint

Earth Day event carpets Capitol in calls to stop CO2, dirty coal plants

April 22, 2008 LANSING – A massive 150-foot-long petition painted with thousands of footprints covered a corner of the State Capitol today during an Earth Day rally that called on Lansing to walk away from dirty coal plants and carbon dioxide, and invest in clean energy instead.

On Earth Day, the citizens of Michigan are rolling out the welcome mat for a clean energy future and sending Lansing the signal that we cannot go backwards with dirty coal plants,” Progress Michigan Executive Director Dan Farough said. “At a time when we must do everything in our power to protect our Great Lakes and reduce carbon dioxide, there are some in Lansing who want to build more dirty coal plants and put our future at risk. We need a change, we need more clean renewable energy and we need to protect our precious natural resources for generations to come.”

The citizens’ watchdog groups that form the Clean Energy Now coalition repeated their calls for Gov. Jennifer Granholm to sign an executive order to significantly curtail carbon dioxide emissions in Michigan. Clean Energy Now has collected thousands of signatures from citizens urging the governor to order the government to make carbon dioxide a factor in whether the state approves permits for future proposed dirty coal plants.

Today, the carpet that was rolled out on the Capitol steps was filled with thousands of footprints meant to symbolize the number of petition signatures that have already been gathered.

“We want to show the governor that the people of Michigan want less carbon dioxide, no new coal plants and a cleaner future for our children,” Michigan Clean Water Action’s Program Coordinator Becky Jo Farrington said. “On Earth Day, Michigan should send the signal that we put people and our Great Lakes before Big Coal and polluters.”

Sierra Club Executive Director Anne Woiwode said: “The people of Michigan are warning those in Lansing who want to go backward that we cannot afford to build new dirty coal plants that put our entire future at risk. We urge all our leaders to put Michigan jobs, Michigan’s Great Lakes and Michigan’s future first. We must change course, say no to dirty coal plants and invest in clean renewable energy.”

“Global warming is the most significant environmental and humanitarian emergency that our planet has ever faced and it’s already putting our precious Great Lakes at risk,” Farrington said. “More dirty coal plants mean more greenhouse gases that threaten our citizens and our economy. We should turn away from more global warming coal-fired power plants and turn our state in the direction of clean, renewable energy.”

Terry Miller of Lone Tree Council, a community based group fighting more coal plants in Midland said: “We call on Gov. Granholm to join the citizens of Michigan in fighting global warming, reducing carbon dioxide and protecting our Great Lakes. She has the people on her side, she should act now to hold Big Coal accountable and she should make sure our Great State leads the way in clean renewable energy, not outdated and dangerous coal.”

Early in 2007, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius invoked a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in directing the state’s environmental agency to consider the negative impact of global warming CO2 emissions in air quality permit decisions for coal-burning power plants. The action was the first time a Governor had invoked a Supreme Court ruling to crack down on CO2 pollution and comes as 59 other coal plants have been turned down or halted across country.

While other states are turning away from coal-burning, Michigan faces the construction of up to seven coal-fired plants that will unleash dangerous greenhouse gases.

Clean Energy Now coalition has also unveiled a ratepayer protection plan that aims to protect consumers from having to absorb the costs of bad, risky investments in more coal. Instead the coalition urges state leaders to turn in the direction of cutting-edge renewable energy and efficiency and bring these rapidly growing industries to Michigan.

To sign the petition, go to www.michigancleanenergynow.com.

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THIS EARTH DAY “WE CAN DO IT”, Says Sierra Club

Sierra Club Highlights Local Green Champions to Show How we Can Quickly Build a Clean Energy Economy

April 22, 2008 Ferndale, MI – The Sierra Club celebrated Earth Day today by highlighting several local examples of Green leadership at a press conference at the Woodward Avenue Brewers, a Ferndale business that has changed a number of its practices to become more environmentally friendly. The press conference kicked off a week long volunteer effort to give out 1,000 energy-saving compact florescent light bulbs and energy savings tips around Oakland County.

“This Earth Day, we want to show people what their neighbors, local businesses and governments are already achieving in moving towards a Clean Energy economy - and persuade them this is not a pie-in-the-sky, generation-from-now possibility, but these are changes and opportunities that could and should be seized now,” said Tiffany Hartung, Oakland County Sierra Club Organizer.

One local example the Sierra Club pointed to was the city of Ferndale itself. As a Cool City, the City of Ferndale has been taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint. Since taking the Cool Cities pledge, Ferndale has formed an Environmental Impact Committee to oversee and give input on environmental policies that the city passes. The city has adopted energy-efficiency policies such as switching over to energy efficient street lighting, requiring Energy Star purchases and requiring green building standards for new buildings. The city also adopted a policy to purchase hybrid vehicles for the city's fleet, and approved policies for transit and land-use improvements that will make alternative transit more of a reality. The city recently added new bike lanes to several of its roads.

One of the speakers was Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey, “The people of Ferndale join the Sierra Club in a clarion call to protect and preserve the environment of our planet and stop the wastefulness and destruction that grows more serious every day.”

“Ferndale is taking some big steps to reduce its contribution to climate change and we wanted to share their examples with its neighboring communities here in the Detroit Metro area,” continued Hartung.

The event was held at the Woodward Avenue Brewers in Ferndale. Organizers say they chose the venue because the brew pub has implemented a number of environmentally friendly practices, such as changing out the lights to more energy efficient CFLs, reusing building material in the construction of the building and it’s sister businesses, using reusable condiment containers and having it’s spent brewery grains picked up to be used as feed for a local bison farm.

“This Earth Day, we can make this switch. We can move beyond oil, coal and the other polluting fuels of the past and instead move into a clean energy economy that creates opportunities and jobs immediately,” said Hartung. “American ingenuity and innovation can lead the way when it comes to clean energy technologies and fighting global warming. If we can have one industrial revolution – why can’t there be another?”

Learn more about Sierra Club’s Earth Day activities nationwide at www.sierraclub.org/earthday.

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