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Jul 15

benziewell_hr
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Tell the DEQ: proposed fracking rules fall short

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality hits the road this week to gather public input on proposed rules on fracking for oil and gas.

Tonight the department will hold a meeting at Treetops Resort, 3962 Wilkinson Road in Gaylord. Wednesday evening there will be a second meeting at the Lansing Center, 333 East Michigan Avenue, down the road from the Capitol. Both meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

If you’ve got the time, this is a great chance to have your say on a very important issue. And if you can’t make it to a meeting, you can submit written comments to [email protected] until July 31.

You can review the proposed rules here.

Our take: The rules don’t go nearly far enough to protect Michigan’s streams, wetlands and groundwater. Here are the main shortcomings.

They don’t require chemical disclosure before drilling. We believe local residents have a right to know what chemicals are in the fracking fluid pumped underground to release oil and gas trapped in shale formations. Read more

Jul 2

Race on Michigan beach
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Visiting a state park this weekend? We need your help!

Many Michigan families and visitors from other states will enjoy fireworks and festivities this holiday weekend at one of Michigan’s 102 state parks.

Those campers will eat a lot of junk food. And that’s fine – part of the fun of camping is indulging in plenty of chips, pop, hot dogs and s’mores.

But many people also visit the state parks to enjoy healthy physical activity and outdoor adventures like biking, swimming and kayaking. And those folks often want to refuel with more nutritious food choices.

That’s why MEC and our partners in the Healthy Kids, Healthy Michigan coalition recently commissioned a study of the food offerings from vendors at state parks. Michigan State University researchers visited a sampling of parks to see what items were available from camp stores, concession stands and vending machines. They also surveyed park visitors to find out what they think about the available food options. Read more

Jun 27

honeybee_courtesy USGS
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Friday linkaround: Rail line creates buzz, pesticide wipes out bees

Oh, man. It’s Friday and it’s summertime. Does it get any better?

We hope this weekend’s a classic for you: family and friends, time outdoors, maybe a Michigan-made beer or two, if that’s your thing.

Meanwhile, why not wrap up the week with a look at some environmental news and events? Here’s your linkaround:

Energy fair: If you’re interested in renewable power and our energy future—and of course you are—see if you can carve out a few hours to attend the 10th Annual Michigan Energy Fair this weekend at the Ingham County Fairgrounds. Our friends at the Michigan Land Use Institute have a nice backgrounder on why the popularity of this event just keeps growing. By the way, the event’s keynote event is a talk and book signing by big-tree champion David Milarch, whose work we explored in a recent issue of MEC’s newsletter. He’s a fascinating guy and you’re going to want to hear what he has to say. Read more

Jun 20

Detroit students pave the way to city’s rebirth

Springtime in a high school student’s senior year is full of exciting rituals: the last day of school, the graduation ceremony, the open house.

Students at Denby High School on Detroit’s northeast side started a new tradition this year: the Pathway to Transformation.

On a late May day under clear blue skies, each senior laid a brick they’d decorated, forming a short walkway on the school lawn. When they were finished, a representative of the junior class added a brick marked “2015.” The path will grow with each graduating class.

The pathway symbolizes changes happening in the neighborhood, in Detroit and in the students themselves, who faced a challenging path of their own to get to the brick-laying ceremony.

“Future classes will be laying bricks until this community has the quality of life you’ve deserved all along,” Denby Principal Tracie McKissic told the seniors. “We are never going to forget you.”

Their work began with a partnership between the school and the team charged with implementing the Detroit Future City (DFC) strategic plan, which aims to stabilize neighborhoods, repurpose vacant land and put more Detroiters to work, among other goals. Read more

Jun 16

1200px-T._B._Simon_Power_Plant,_Michigan_State_University,_East_Lansing_MI
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A clean power plan for Michigan

Many of us working on energy and climate policy looked forward to June 2 like it was Christmas morning. That was the date set for the EPA to announce a new draft rule to cut carbon pollution from power plants, building on the Clean Power Plan President Obama drafted last summer.

Now that we’ve had a couple of weeks to dig into the rule, does it match the hype leading up to it? On one hand, yes: It is undoubtedly the most significant action the U.S. government has taken to address climate change, and it should yield economic benefits and job creation.

On the other hand, the reality of the rule’s impact—at least in Michigan—does not match the sky-is-falling rhetoric opponents to carbon regulation have used to describe it. The rule reaffirms the action Michigan took in 2008 by passing Public Act 295, and meshes well with the clean-energy discussion started by Governor Snyder in 2013.

Still, Michigan will not achieve the required carbon reductions with a business-as-usual approach. We will need to be more aggressive in our transition to renewable energy and in reducing energy waste. Fortunately, MEC is already taking part in discussions in Lansing to outline the next steps for Michigan’s clean energy programs. Read more

Jun 13

Thumbs up

Good budget news overshadowed by road funding dead end

Michigan lawmakers are in for a bumpy ride home.

They are in the unenviable position—but one they put themselves in—of explaining to constituents why they couldn’t work out a solution to a maddening problem we all face every day and that the majority of Michiganders say is the most urgent issue facing the state.

Their inability to pass a transportation funding package means our roads will only get worse, doing more damage to our vehicles, driving away businesses that might otherwise invest in Michigan and likely even costing more Michiganders their lives.

It also means the rest of Michigan’s transportation system will lose out. As we wrote here recently, public transit, passenger and freight rail, cargo shipping infrastructure and public boating facilities all will suffer because the Legislature couldn’t get the job done before breaking for summer recess.

But! It’s Friday and the forecast looks gorgeous. Summer in Michigan is too brief and too lovely to spend much time grumbling. Let’s keep on the sunny side.

In the Legislature’s mad dash toward summer break, they passed a budget that actually will do great things for Michigan’s people and environment. Here are a few examples to cheer you up for the weekend. Read more

Jun 6

Fix the roads

Time is right—but running out—for transportation funding deal

Michigan’s legislature has one week left before the summer recess. With the Detroit aid package finalized and a budget agreement shaping up, lawmakers face just one major hurdle before they head home to reconnect with their constituents.

Doubt is growing in Lansing about whether legislators can agree on a transportation funding package before the break. While they could take the issue back up in the fall, we believe the leadership in the Capitol must hammer out a deal immediately.

Here are a few reasons they need to get it done now: Read more

May 23

Pigeon River Country
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To praise and protect: holiday thoughts on Michigan’s public lands

Michigan’s woodlands and waters are warming up, breaking into bloom, and will welcome thousands into their spring-into-summer embrace this beautiful holiday weekend. For me, our annual outdoor awakening brings to mind two simple observations about Michigan’s public lands.

1. They are awesome.

Case in point: I have the privilege of working with the Pigeon River Country Advisory Council to advise the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on management of the largest block of contiguous public land in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. It’s a job I take seriously, and I’ve taken some time learning and hoping to understand the place.

I spent Wednesday afternoon poking around the 105,000 acres on foot and by four-wheel drive, and was witness to: three elk crashing away into shadowy trees; a clear small stream bubbling as wind whispered high in tall pines above; and an old log shelter perched atop a broad river valley with blue skies stretching away without end. Trillium in bloom, birds chirping spring through the aspen groves, mushroom hunters prowling the miles of two-tracks and logging roads.

This trip, like too many in my full-time, new-dad lifestyle, was squeezed into the scant few hours before an evening meeting. The PRC is huge, its ecological communities and landscapes ranging from dark cedar swamps to warm, sandy ridges baking in sunlight. In half a dozen such trips over the last year or so—a few camp nights, a handful of slow drives, some long talks and longer hikes, a few books and a winter trail run—I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of the Pigeon River Country. Such places are rich, deep and challenging, and reward nothing so much as time and careful attention. Read more

May 22

Michael Ford

Long track record, millage victory make Ford solid choice as RTA chief

MEC applauded the unanimous vote Wednesday by the board of the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan to hire longtime transportation administrator Michael Ford as its new CEO.

Ford previously held leadership positions with transit authorities in Stockton, Calif., Portland and Seattle. All told, he has 35 years of experience with public and private transit institutions, from working as a bus station custodian in college to serving a management role with Greyhound.

Perhaps the deciding factor in the nine-member board’s selection of Ford was his success in his current role at the helm of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. Ford is still employed by AAATA and has not yet confirmed that he will accept the RTA offer.

Ford is fresh off a major win at AAATA, where he helped to gain 71% voter approval this month for a new millage that will expand transit service by 44% in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. Rigorous planning, communications and public engagement were major factors in that decisive victory.

With its own millage campaign set to culminate in November 2016, the RTA stands to benefit from Ford’s experience in Ann Arbor, said MEC President Chris Kolb.

“Michael Ford has proven he has the right set of skills to demonstrate to community members that better public transportation creates a stronger region with more opportunities for residents,” Kolb said. “I’m confident his strong leadership will help the RTA fulfill its potential as a transformative force for Metro Detroit.”

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May 15

Orange barrels
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MEC releases report exploring mileage fee to fund transportation system

MEC today released a report that explores the possibility of funding Michigan’s transportation system by charging motorists based on the distance they drive.

One key advantage of a mileage fee is its fairness, the report says. The damage a vehicle does to roadways depends on how far it travels and how much it weighs, both of which can be accounted for in a well-designed mileage fee.

Another benefit is that charging per mile avoids one of the pitfalls of Michigan’s current per-gallon tax on gasoline: As vehicles become more fuel-efficient, revenue from that tax will continue to shrink. By charging based on distance driven rather than fuel burned, a mileage fee could provide a more stable source of funding for our transportation system.

Oregon already has begun implementing a limited mileage fee policy, and other states—including Texas, Minnesota, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin and Nevada—have studied it as a funding option.

Of course, as a Detroit Free Press story on the report noted, privacy concerns and other hurdles would have to be cleared before such a system could be implemented. But MEC President Chris Kolb said having a discussion now will help Michigan establish a transportation-funding mechanism that is fair, efficient and sustainable in the long run.

“We think a mileage fee is worth examining as a potential future revenue source for our state’s transportation system,” he said. “Implementing the fee would likely take the better part of a decade, so it makes sense to start the conversation and see if it’s the right fit for Michigan.”

As a world leader in automotive technology, Michigan is a natural fit to develop the technology and policies a mileage fee would require, Kolb added.

MEC commissioned the report from SMART, a transportation research initiative at the University of Michigan. The two groups held a briefing on the report this morning in Lansing, followed by a panel discussion featuring Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation; John Austin, nonresident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution; and Conan Smith, executive director of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance.

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Photo courtesy Chris Chan via Flickr.

 

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