Lana Pollack on the forced resignation of EPA Administrator Mary Gade
May 1, 2008 - Press release

House energy pact means lower cost, cleaner energy for Michigan's future
April 18, 2008 - Press release

Senate passes renewable energy initiative for state government; A small first step
March 27, 2008 - Press release

Senate Great Lakes protection package leaves waters vulnerable, shuts citizens out
February 20, 2008 - Press release

Economy, environment win under House efficiency, renewable legislation
January 23, 2008 - Press release

Report: Tradition of public access to UP forests threatened by ownership changes
December 12, 2007 - Press release

Michigan groups: Federal fuel economy agreement protects jobs, environment
December 6, 2007 - Press release

Independent analysis shows clean energy means jobs, economic boost for Michigan
November 29, 2008 - Press release

Governor Granholm joins Midwest governors in taking bold action on energy security, climate stewardship
November 15, 2008 - Press release

State Senate Great Lakes ‘protection’ plan would open spigot to drain Michigan’s rivers
November 14, 2007 - Press release

New Mexico Gov. promotes Great Lakes water grab: Michigan legislature urged to pass pending water protections ASAP
Presidential candidate says states “awash in water” should give it up
October 11, 2007 - Press release

Groups file to stop "coal rush," force Michigan to regulate heat-trapping CO2
Ten organizations ask state to take proactive role in combating global warming, fostering energy efficiency and clean energy
October 10, 2007 - Press release

Less auto-dependent development is key to mitigating climate change
Michigan’s growth patterns fuel increase in vehicle emissions
September 20, 2007 - Press release

Proposed new coal plant would undermine ongoing state plan for cleaner, cheaper options. Why?
September 14, 2007 - Press release

Public hearings on Kennecott mine to be held in U.P. and Lansing
September 7, 2007 - Press release

Proposed mine approval puts U.P. resources in jeopardy
MDEQ preliminary decision ignores gaping holes in mine plan
Preliminary approval for a flawed Upper Peninsula nickel mine granted today by state regulators ignores gaping shortcomings in the mining safety plan and puts the region’s economy and natural resources at risk
July 30, 2007 - Press release

‘Water Wonderland’ has ally in newly proposed state safeguards for Great Lakes
Lakes’ defenders applaud State House bills to prevent diversions
and protect world’s greatest fresh water resource
Michigan’s greatest public resource – a vast network of fresh water that buoys the economy and frames the state’s quality of life – would be better protected under a package of bills introduced today in the state House of Representatives.
July 25, 2007 - Press release

State's top environmental honor bestowed on ex-legislator, lifelong activist from Kalamazoo
Mary C. Brown earns Milliken Award; CAFO pollution fighter Lynn Henning gets top grassroots award
May 31, 2007 - Press release

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can boost Michigan's economy
Michigan can add $380 million a year and 3,400 fulltime jobs to the state's economy by 2025 while reducing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases linked to global warming, according to a study released today by the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems.
May 23, 2007 - Press release

Federal investigation needed into Palisades security breach
Magazine says Michigan nuclear plant's security chief faked his security clearance, exhibited bizarre behavior
Disturbing details of June’s Esquire Magazine article, “Mercenary,” by Tom Junod, requires a full federal investigation of security at Palisades nuclear power plant on the Lake Michigan shoreline and other U.S. nuclear plants.
May 16, 2007 - Press release

Pesticides and kids: Dangerous springtime ritual
Coalition seeks stronger laws, education on lawn treatments
A broad coalition of health and environmental groups are launching a year-long effort to educate policy makers and parents about pesticide applications in and around Michigan schools. Such applications routinely expose children to chemicals linked to cancer, asthma and neurological disabilities.
April 30, 2007 - Press release

Environmental groups call for removal of top mining regulator
Deleted documents part of a pattern of lax accountability and biased scrutiny of dangerous sulfide mining proposal
The reassignment of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s top mining regulator is essential to restoring integrity to the agency’s mine permitting process, four of the state’s leading environmental organizations and citizens groups said.
March 8, 2007 - Press release

Tentative mine permit yanked
Suppressed reports put DEQ decision under fire
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's environmental regulators rescinded preliminary approval for a dangerous Upper Peninsula nickel mine after discovering that key technical reports questioning the mine's safety have been suppressed by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Staff.
March 1, 2007 - Press release

Coast Guard suspends Great Lakes live fire plan
Unregulated machine gun training would have introduced toxic lead, other hazardous materials into world's greatest freshwater resource
The United States Coast Guard today announced the indefinite suspension of its proposed live fire machine gun training exercises on the Great Lakes. The decision helps protect the world's greatest freshwater resource from unregulated amounts of lead and other toxic materials that would have been introduced by the training.
December 18, 2006 - Press release

Coalition urges rejection of Big Rock nuke site park
Numerous Michigan natural resource treasures without nuclear waste would be better choices for limited trust fund dollars
A coalition of environmental groups today urged the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board to reject a plan to purchase the former Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant site near Charlevoix. The continued storage of high-level atomic waste at the site, its legacy of radioactive contamination, and the availability of numerous high-quality natural lands competing for limited Trust Fund dollars should be factors when the Board votes on the proposal Wednesday, Dec. 6.
November 30 , 2006 - Press release

Michigan's coastlines: World class resource at risk
Report: A call to action as mounting development pressure and fragmented oversight threaten economy, ecology of Great Lakes Shoreline
Michigan's Great Lakes coastline is a magnet for development, drawing people and businesses at a brisk pace that outstrips the growth of inland communities. But fragmented and disjointed planning on the coasts is overseen by more than 400 separate jurisdictions, a confusing checkerboard of often contradictory and counterproductive rules, zoning laws and long-range plans.
August 31, 2006 - Press release
Download "Developing Our Coastlines"

Coast Guard live fire proposal adds toxic lead to Great Lakes
Public hearings begin Oct. 16; public comments taken until Nov. 13
Public comment on the establishment of Coast Guard live-fire weapons training zones on the Great Lakes is being taken until November 13. Public hearings begin the week of October 16, including three hearings in Michigan. The training would add far more toxic lead to the Great Lakes than the entire state of Michigan discharges to its waterways each year.
Download MEC briefing document
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Dow's dioxin getting into people too
Dioxin from Dow's contamination of mid-Michigan is getting into people, according to the results of a large study released yesterday. The $15 million dollar Dow-funded study found that consumption of fish and wildgame and living in contaminated areas resulted in increased levels of dioxin and related toxic chemicals in blood.
August 16 , 2006 - Press Release

Algae's return threatens summer fun on the lakes
Legislation, education key to slashing pollutants
that trigger beach-fouling gunk
Repulsive, potentially toxic clumps of algae are likely to reappear this summer to plague swimmers and beachcombers from the bays of Grand Traverse to the shores of Lake Erie. The troubling return of algae is a throwback to the days when rampant pollution of the Great Lakes led researchers to declare Lake Erie "dead" in the 1970s. And it is a warning that the state can not afford to ignore.
June 13, 2006 - Press Release
Download "Something's Amuck"

Endangered warblers found near mine site
Kirtland's Warblers should require reassessment of sulfide mine plan
June 8, 2006 - Press Release

Halting 20 extended years of risky reactor operations and radioactive waste generation and storage on Lake Michigan
at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant
Download the executive summary
Download the comments
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Health, environmental groups praise governor's
mercury protections
Ninety percent cut a major victory for children's well being
April 17, 2006 - Press Release

Season creep: warming climate leads to shifting
Michigan seasons
From open water on Grand Traverse Bay to earlier lilac blooms and bird migration, global warming is changing Michigan now
March 26, 2006 - Press Release

Community, character and cash
New state transportation policy can help Michigan communities have all three,
according to a report by the Michigan Environmental Council
February 24, 2006 - Press Release
Additional Information

PA joins IL and MN in call for 90% mercury cut
Michigan advocates urge similar protections in the Great Lakes State
February 22, 2006 - Press Release

Global warming impacts Michigan and the entire Great Lakes region
Report finds that Michigan may suffer from the effects of a changing climate more than previously thought
February 13, 2006 - Press Release

Michigan lawmakers pass strong water use bills
Environmental groups praise passage of state’s first comprehensive water use laws
February 9, 2006 - Press Release
Summary of water bills
Improvements to MI law

MEC encouraged by elements of MPSC report on electric capacity need
New report recognizes long-term price, reliability benefits from adopting
modern, clean energy technologies
January 4, 2006 - Press Release