MI Political Week in Review

As you know, Michigan LCV has been reading the tea leaves on the Gubernatorial race.   An interesting development this week was on Wednesday when Republican candidate Rick Snyder released his "Plan For Protecting Michigan’s Environment".

Snyder said, “The goal of protecting Michigan's environment is to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same awe inspiring natural resources that we're enjoying today and to support our economic recovery. This is not a partisan or political effort - it's about the preservation of the fabric that makes our state great. It's about protecting and enriching Michigan's soul, as Governor Milliken [Honorary Chair of the Michigan LCV board, pictured here with Lisa Wozniak, State Representative Dan Scripps, Honorary Co-Chair Mrs. Helen Milliken, Traverse City Mayor Michael Estes and Kerry Duggan] once described it.”

It appears that Snyder is getting out front and early on some of the issues Michigan LCV cares about.

Some of Synder’s assessments:

· Michigan's natural resources are the fabric of the state's identity.
· Michigan has lost its reputation as an environmental leader. We need to be proactive instead of reactive to environmental threats.
· We stand to lose huge amounts of federal aid if we don't secure state funds for environmental protection.
· Michigan should be a leader in emerging technologies for renewable energy like wind, solar and advanced battery research.
· We need to encourage smart community growth, incentivize for Brownfield redevelopment and develop a plan for mass transit.

We would like to hear more from Snyder and every candidate running for Governor about their policies regarding the Great Lakes and energy (especially old, dirty industries like coal).  In fact, Michigan LCV has two questions for anyone running for Governor:

1) Would you support legislation that would clarify that all water in Michigan, including groundwater, is held in the public trust?
2) Would you support legislation that would increase Michigan's Renewable Portfolio Standard and Energy Efficiency standard?

We applaud Mr. Snyder for his efforts to begin this dialogue, but as we’ve learned from the last eight years, saying the right thing about the environment and doing the right thing about the environment are two very different things. As the race continues, we look forward to hearing from every candidate about his or her plans to protect, maintain, and restore Michigan’s natural resources.

Stay tuned for more campaign developments from the Michigan LCV staff!