PWIR: With Presidential Fanfare, Michigan Advances Battery Industry
- Michigan LCV staff got the tough tickets for VIP seating at the Holland event with the President. Our on-the-ground report.
- It’s an endangered bird! It’s a high-emission plane! It’s… Super Committee! And Michigan will have a major impact on it. Find out why.
- Thousands of Michiganders now have new faces in Lansing vying for their votes following the Governor’s decision to sign the redistricting plan. The repercussions for conservation are as tied to the politics as ever.
- Kalamazoo Company gets up to $129.6 million from EPA for toxic testing, an announcement that sends important signals for the health of Michigan children.
"Don’t bet against American ingenuity.”
That was the opening message of President Obama’s speech at the Johnson Controls advanced battery plant in Holland on Thursday afternoon. We were proud to be there in person as the excitement of the national spotlight fell on one of Michigan’s most promising and expanding industries. That pride should be contagious for all Michiganders; we are leading the country’s advanced battery sector.
The plant in Holland is a prime example of that fact. The plant itself was built with money from the Stimulus Bill and will employ over 300 workers when fully operational. And that’s just a start. Michigan may soon be producing 20% of the world’s lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
Advanced batteries like the ones produced at this facility are not just for electric vehicles, however. Utility providers across the nation are using batteries like these to store alternative energy generated from wind turbines, in particular.
Ensuring Michigan’s place as the advanced battery capitol of the world is one of our top priorities at Michigan LCV. Please sign this petition and join us in the Built by Michigan coalition to make it a reality.
Washington Superheroes?
Ashamed of the recent debt debacle? The US credit rating downgrade? Relax. Our fearless leaders in Congress have two words to help reduce our deficit: Super Committee.
That’s right! An assembly of the finest in Congress --- America’s most loathed institution --- is tasked with cutting $1.5 trillion from the Federal budget.
To give you a better idea of just how much money $1.5 trillion really is, it is more than 81 times the total projected revenue of the entire state of Michigan. Now, take all the trouble and painful decisions we endured to reach our own state budget and imagine how many cuts will have to be made to reach $1.5 trillion in cuts, alone.
Two members, representing a full sixth of the make-up of the committee, are from Michigan and lend our state disproportionate power in its deliberations:
First, is Representative Fred Upton, a familiar name to PWIR subscribers. As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Upton championed a bill to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases. The fact that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from energy-related special interests, and personally holds significant amounts of BP stock, underscores how dangerous handing him this giant pair of budgetary scissors could be.
The next Michigander appointed is Representative Dave Camp who is the Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, which is responsible for taxation. Unfortunately, to this point, he is resistant to closing the tax loopholes for the oil industry despite their record profits. His unwillingness to touch even this easy fix does not inspire a great deal of confidence in where he will choose to make cuts instead.
Even so, Camp has the potential to be a real dealmaker on this committee… if he is willing to shirk hardline ideology. We’re not willing to give up on him yet.
To find out how you can get involved in making sure these “super” lawmakers do the right thing, please click here and our West Michigan organizer Zane Corriveau will be in touch.
Welcome to Your New Legislative District!
Last Tuesday, Governor Snyder signed redistricting bills into law that will dramatically shift the political playing field in Michigan for the next ten years. We will, of course, be acquainting voters further with their potentially new representatives as we get closer to the elections, both primary and general.
For now, feel free to check out the new maps here and please remember you can always check your rep’s record through our online scorecard, too. The elected officials who make it out of the newly scrambled districts will determine how well Michigan’s air, land, and water are protected.
Kalamazoo Company gets boost for testing toxics
CeeTox, a life sciences company housed at Western Michigan University, was just named the recipient of up to $125.9 million in grant money from the EPA to test for toxins in everyday consumer products.
At present, manufacturers are not required to alert consumers of toxic chemicals like lead or arsenic in their products, a major failing of the inadequate federal Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). A recent study found that up to a third of children’s products tests positive for these and other toxic chemicals.
That is the reason that we are working so hard to ensure that parents in Michigan have access to a list of the most harmful toxins found in children’s toys and the means by which to ensure what their little boy or girl is gnawing on is not poisonous.
Remarkable that isn’t already in place, isn’t it? Write your State Senator now to urge them to move the bill to correct this through the Legislature as quickly as possible.
Until next week,
Ryan Werder
Political Director
