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PEG 6th Congressional District Newsletter 358
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Planet on Fire: Michigan’s Sierra Club on President Biden
When Christy McGillivray, Legislative and Political Director of the Michigan chapter of the Sierra Club, addressed the public on Zoom, she sang President Biden’s praises. Assuring her audience she ordinarily was cynical about politicians, she touted Biden’s Infrastructure Reduction Act (IRA) and its funds, which are upgrading Michigan’s cities. She gave as an example the city of Benton Harbor where lead tap rates in the water had risen dramatically, going from 60 parts per billion to billion to almost 900. The state of Michigan did not have the funds to repair its aging pipes until the IRA provided the required $32 million.
McGillivray explained that President Biden has made climate action a priority, actually enforcing and strengthening environmental regulations on major pollutants that impact public health and accelerate climate change. She cited the EPA’s new standards around soot, a substance linked to cancer, increased asthma rates, and other respiratory issues.
McGillivray emphasized the Michigan Sierra Club’s role in dealing with the state’s pressing environmental concerns since its inception over fifty years ago. Although under Whitmer’s leadership our state is proving itself a leader in combating climate change, much needs to be done to redress pollution, climate change, and crumbling infrastructure. Most threatening to Michigan citizens, according to McGillivray, is its decaying drinking- and wastewater infrastructure. This Michigan chapter is committed to advocating for water affordability and polluter accountability throughout the state. A fix will cost $1 billion. Moreover, 40,000 toxic sites remain in Michigan. Our work has just begun.
The Clean Energy Standard Takes Effect on February 27, 2024
As explained in a previous PEG newsletter, in 2023 the Michigan legislature passed several bills—the Clean Energy Future Package (Senate Bills 271, 273, 277, 502, 519) and the Clean Energy and Jobs Act (House Bills 5120, 5121)—containing key climate initiatives to transition Michigan to more clean energy sources and address the state’s energy reliability and affordability concerns. The bills take effect at different times.
On February 24, 2024, Senate Bill 271 went into effect. This bill, in part, sets a standard of 100% clean energy by 2040, expanding Michigan’s renewable energy rate (currently at approximately 16 percent) to 60% by 2030, establishes a 2,500-megawatt storage standard by 2030, increases access to rooftop solar from 1% to 10% and more, and expands funding for consumer representation in MPSC cases. A Michigan Department of Energy Great Lakes and Environment (EGLE) newsroom article and Michigan Advance provide additional details about the contents of the legislation.
Sunday, March 10. FREE Ann Arbor Climate Teach-in
The annual A2 Climate Teach-in provides an easy and meaningful entry point for those who want to get more involved in climate action. You will have the chance to build your own Climate Action Toolkit. Various workshops and discussions throughout the day culminate in the keynote address, “What We Can Do Together for Climate Action,” delivered by United States Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Michigan’s 6th District. Genesis of Ann Arbor, 2309 Packard St, Ann Arbor. Register here. 1:30—5:15 pm
Visit the PEG Events Page for more upcoming events at www.equalityingov.org/events!
PEG is a (somewhat) non-partisan volunteer organization whose mission is to assure that our government will treat all Americans with equality and acceptance. PEG’s work is primarily done by recruiting, educating and nurturing supporters for worthy organizations, actions and events that reflect our beliefs. The weekly PEG Newsletter typically goes out each Thursday. To subscribe to this free newsletter, go to our sign up form by clicking here.
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