PWIR: The Water that Flows Under the Bridge
Last week most of Lansing's politicians moved to Mackinac Island for a major annual conference. Interestingly, despite being surrounded by water, there was not much of a focus on it. Frankly, most of the talk this week was on the proposed International Trade Crossing with Canada. While there are some environmental implications there, this Political Week in Review focuses on other important connections to Michigan's future.
In this week’s PWIR:
- Early maps of the new congressional districts are leaked, and why it’s not just water under the bridge (bad pun fully intended).
- The Administrator of the EPA plans a trip to Lansing to announce new plans for redeveloping old polluted industrial sites, with hopes of bridging the chasm created with the state budget’s cuts.
- It’s far from the horse and buggies on Mackinac, but the Friends of Transit celebrate the official closure of their office and its transition to Michigan LCV’s West Michigan headquarters.
- The Freep highlights why the water that any bridge spans in Michigan is so vital and precious.
- This week’s “Quick Hits,” news items at the intersection of politics and environment you may have missed.
Well, you may know today, but check again soon. The prospective map of new congressional districts was leaked to the Detroit News this week and set off a new round of speculation over the 2012 federal elections. Redistricting is a constitutionally required process that occurs every ten years based on the most recent census. Due to population loss in our state, Michigan lost another district/representative, which will lead to significant changes in all districts statewide.
Of course, as in most anything in politics, redistricting is hardly a virtuous process. With Republicans controlling the State House, State Senate, Governor’s mansion, and Supreme Court, the act of resetting congressional lines is a purely political exercise. Just as the Democrats would do if they were in the same position, the Republicans are drawing the maps to their fullest advantage.
The most notable change here is that Rep. Gary Peters (D , 9th District) is likely to be “drawn together” with Rep. Sandy Levin (D, 12th District). In other words, they are now likely to find themselves in the same district and forced to run against each other unless one chooses to pursue another alternative. Regrettably, this means that one of those two fine elected officials – who each earned a 100% on the LCV Scorecard last session – is virtually guaranteed not to return to Congress next year.
With most of the state's legislators and political prognosticators up at Mackinac this weekend, the rumors and gossip on the redistricting repercussions were as thick as that famous fudge.
Today, the Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visits Lansing to announce a nationwide investment in “brownfields,” or pieces of contaminated property redeveloped for new, more productive uses.
The visit takes place at Lansing’s City Market, a site that was a brownfield before being revitalized with EPA investments. This announcement comes shortly after the state budget passed both chambers of the Michigan Legislature (and now awaits the Governor's signature) and includes a sharp decrease in state support of brownfield redevelopment.
Incidentally, three other Michigan LCV staffers and I will be heading to Washington, DC for the week to talk to our federal officials about essential issues back home; we will also attend the National LCV dinner at which Lisa Jackson will be speaking. I'm hoping for a Michigan shout-out.
On Wednesday, the Friends of Transit organization in Grand Rapids celebrated the one-month anniversary of the passage of their win at the ballot box for increased public transportation in the metro Grand Rapids area. Learn more about the exciting implications of that victory here.
Appropriately, the celebration took place at the rededicated Michigan LCV West Michigan office. This was important for two reasons: First, given the role that our talented West Michigan staff played in managing the day-to-day operations of that campaign, we were honored to host the event with so many public officials, volunteers, and community leaders vital to the effort. Second, it forced us to finally finish cleaning up the office found after any high-intensity campaign. (It was no small task, in this case.)
File this one under essential reading. The Detroit Free Press’s John Gallagher wrote the first of a series of articles to be printed by the Freep that focuses on the value, opportunity, and fragile nature of our Great Lakes. While this initial article is a broad sketch of the upcoming series, in general, one theme emerges: We are not doing enough.
We are not doing enough to protect the quality of our Great Lakes and we are not doing enough to capitalize on the billions of dollars in water-related technologies. We take it for granted, but one in every six people in the world does not have daily access to fresh water. That kind of billion-person strong demand can lead to serious attempts to get their hands on the supply. We are simply not doing enough to defend our Great Lakes from that ever-increasing global need.
Speaking of shortages, the New York Times devoted nearly three pages of Sunday’s paper to the implications of climate change on the worlds food supply. Ironically, the one possible positive outcome of increasing carbon emissions world-wide – more carbon dioxide for the crops that thrive on the gas for photosynthesis – turns out be counteracted by the accompanying higher temperatures.
Closer to home, Senator Stabenow penned an op-ed on how to curb the fuel costs that are crippling family budgets and highlighting our unsustainable reliance on foreign oil.
Finally, because we could all use some good news from time to time, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association endorsed the Healthy Food in Healthcare Pledge and is asking over 150 Michigan hospitals to join in the effort. This environmental health initiative, which includes Michigan-made and sustainably-grown products as a key element, is a major stride in improving Michiganders’ health by improving Michigan’s agricultural and food processing industries.
Until next week,
Ryan Werder, Political Director
