Michigan Chapter Update
Early November 2009:
Get Outside with Sierra Club's Groups; Ratepayers ask Consumers Energy to Give Them a Break; Re-combining DEQ and DNR - what's it mean?; Become an Evergreen Supporter of the Michigan Chapter!
Get Outside this Fall and Winter!
Michigan is home to some of the most beautiful places on earth, as Outing Leaders from Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Groups can tell from first hand experience! You can enjoy Michigan's fall and winter more by getting outside with people who know some of the best kept secrets about our state's gorgeous outdoors!
Find out about hikes, cross-country skiing adventures, and canoe trips, just to name a few! Check back regularly as the Outings and Events calendar is updated with new exciting outings and programs.
Want to find out more? Contact your local Group Outing leader here or Chapter Outings Chair Lorne Beatty.
Ratepayers Tell Consumers Energy to Give Us a Break!
Consumers Energy's parent company CMS announced their profits last week, but the company continues pushing for a new, unneeded $2.6 billion coal plant, even though customers are using less electricity. More than 100 coal plants have been cancelled nationwide since 2002, mainly because of financial risks, but under Michigan law ratepayers will pay for a new power plant, not shareholders. Sierra Club joined with faith and community groups to call for CMS to invest in jobs and a clean energy future for Michigan instead of coal.
"Michigan’s working families have been hit hard by this recession and can’t afford to pick up the tab for an expensive and dirty coal-fired power plant," said Patty Gillis from Voices for Earth Justice. "We need a break, and CMS Energy should put more of those earnings into energy efficiency to help businesses and homes cut electric bills and pollution at the same time." The full story is here.
Find out how you can get involved in moving Michigan Beyond Coal -- it will be good for your family, Michigan's future and everyone's pocketbooks!
Re-combining DEQ and DNR - what's it mean?
Big changes are coming on January 17. Almost a decade and a half after they were split, Governor Granholm has ordered the recombination of the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Natural Resources. With budget woes and a plan to reduce the total number of state departments announced early this year, the recombination is not a surprise, but critical details are still up in the air. A transition team is to complete its recommendations by December 23 on what the new Department of Natural Resources and Environment will look like, but Sierra Club isn't waiting to weigh in.
Sierra Club is working with environmental and conservation groups to demand protection of the interests of all Michiganders by assuring an emphasis on public health and sustaining our state's tremendous natural resources as these changes occur. Let us know your thoughts, and sign up to keep informed about the fast moving changes by sending an email to michigan.chapter@sierraclub.org.
Become an Evergreen Supporter of the Michigan Chapter!
Be part of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter's Evergreen program by supporting the issues you care most about all year long: Keeping our Great Lakes healthy; building a clean energy future; protecting our public forests and wild heritage; and involving more people in democracy. Find out more about how you can be part of the Michigan Chapter Evergreen program here or contact Jan O'Connell with your questions!
Support the Michigan Chapter's work by clicking here! Not a Sierra Club member yet? Join here!
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