Michigan Environmental Council

New environmental voter resource now available 🗳️🌱

From data centers and energy affordability to PFAS and toxins in our water, environmental issues are directly on the ballot this November. Every day, Michiganders live with the real costs of bad decisions passed down to their families, homes, and communities.

Ahead of the election, our team—alongside partners Groundwork Center, Ecology Center and Huron River Watershed Council—launched The Cost of MI Vote, a comprehensive environmental voter resource.

We hope this tool gives Michiganders a practical way to evaluate candidate proposals, see past the talking points, and assess who will truly protect our communities and lower downstream costs.

🔗 Explore the resource here: https://environmentalcouncil.org/take-action/the-cost-of-mi-vote/

Every decision our lawmakers make comes with a price tag—and right now, we’re paying for it.

Higher energy bills. Polluted waters. Vulnerable communities. At-risk natural resources.

This November, we can elect leaders who actually fight downstream costs and protect our state. But making that impact starts with the upcoming primaries.

To help you vote with the environment in mind, the Environmental Council and our allies at Huron River Watershed Council, Ecology Center and Groundwork Center built a new enviro-voter resource!

Inside, you’ll find:

-A checklist for evaluating candidate plans

-Candidate voter guides

-Key issue breakdowns from trusted state outlets

Check it out in full here: https://environmentalcouncil.org/take-action/the-cost-of-mi-vote/

For over a decade, ozone pollution in Detroit has consistently exceeded safe air quality standards. When pollution reaches levels this high, state regulators are legally required under the Clean Air Act to take immediate action and roll out a clear plan to clean up our air.

Yet, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) still hasn't delivered the required action plan.

Living with unaddressed ozone pollution directly fuels Detroit’s skyrocketing asthma rates, hitting our families, children and vulnerable community members the hardest. We cannot afford to let state officials ignore the air we breathe every day.

It's time to hold state regulators accountable.

➡️Take 2 minutes to send a direct message to EGLE now: Demand that they stop ignoring Detroit’s ozone crisis and enforce the clean air protections we are legally owed!

Click here to take action with Michigan Environmental Council:

Tell EGLE-It's time to address Michigan's dismal air quality For the past decade, ozone pollution in Detroit has consistently been above the air quality standard. When ozone pollution is above the air quality standard, state regulators are required to spring to action and develop plans to lower ozone pollution. But our top environmental regulator, the Michiga...

PFAS—known as "forever chemicals"—persist in our environment, our water and our bodies long after they are released.

In honor of Michigan’s first-ever PFAS Awareness Week, we’re bringing you an exclusive look into how local leaders and scientists are confronting these dangerous pollutants head-on.

Join our Water Policy Director, Megan Tinsley, as she hosts an expert panel exploring the real-world impacts on our communities—from the now infamous Wolverine Worldwide contamination along the Rogue River to the policy solutions that will keep our water safe moving forward.

Watch the roundtable here: https://youtu.be/B8FrQEWLAj4

www.youtube.com

AJ Birkbeck spent much of his legal career fighting for clean water in Michigan, including taking on Wolverine World Wide for polluting Michigan’s Rogue River.

To honor his legacy, we work with with the AJ Birkbeck Scholarship Fund each year to invest in groundbreaking PFAS research.

This year, we’re proud to award the scholarship to Siyu Li, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan.

Siyu’s innovative research looks at human milk samples to uncover how much "forever chemical" pollution stems from known PFAS versus prescription medications—and how much unknown fluorine is still hiding in our bodies.

Hats off to you, Siyu, for leading this critical and innovative work!

Is Detroit’s air actually getting cleaner, or is it just being hidden on paper? 🚨

Earlier today, we joined Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action and an expert panel to discuss Detroit’s air pollution—from extreme wildfire smoke to the gaps in current clean air protections.

During the conversation, we broke down a controversial state proposal that would wipe 21 days of high ozone pollution off Detroit’s official air quality record.

Watch the full conversation here to learn:
-How this proposal impacts public health in the region

-Why accurate air quality data is non-negotiable

-How YOU can take action for stronger clean air enforcement

🎥Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=nTgdF_3101A&feature=youtu.be

Detroit’s Air Pollution & The Controversial 21-Day Ozone Exception Is Detroit’s air pollution being hidden on paper? Join local commun...

Excited to share and co-host this upcoming conversation on air quality in Detroit!

Our friends and clean air allies are gathering for a live virtual roundtable on September 8 to discuss Detroit’s air quality, health impacts and local solutions.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__yBRyjc0QneinrC19GKIhA?_gl=1%2A3fo7bp%2A_gcl_au%2AOTQyODYxMDgyLjE3ODQyOTcyNDY.%2A_ga%2AMTMzNDU0MzAuMTc4NDI5OTExMg..%2A_ga_L8TBF28DDX%2AczE3ODg1NDI5MjckbzgkZzEkdDE3ODg1NDMxNTAkajU1JGwwJGgw&fbclid=IwY2xjawUZM6lwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWtMOXVOb1BJSFdHaVRFb21zcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeTm8NMHpTZ4c6RBhPmpixJqJOBZ7KV3-rruXBHlD9BlvYcmxoytR8UtBnckY_aem_RxE4qVmxpc-9KdiE8yiApg #/registration

Join us for a virtual community roundtable on Detroit’s air pollution—from this summer’s extreme wildfire smoke, to gaps in the protections meant to keep our air safe.

We’ll break down a controversial state proposal to exclude 21 days of high ozone pollution from Detroit’s air quality record, making the region’s air look cleaner on paper than it really is.

Hear what this could mean for the health of Detroit-area residents, why accurate air quality data matters and how the public can push for stronger enforcement of clean air protections.

Speakers include:

💙Nick Leonard — Great Lakes Environmental Law Center

💙Mary-Jacqueline K. Muli, BSN, RN — Climate Justice Nurse

💙Sandra Turner-Handy — Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice

💙Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__yBRyjc0QneinrC19GKIhA?_gl=1*3fo7bp*_gcl_au*OTQyODYxMDgyLjE3ODQyOTcyNDY.*_ga*MTMzNDU0MzAuMTc4NDI5OTExMg..*_ga_L8TBF28DDX*czE3ODg1NDI5MjckbzgkZzEkdDE3ODg1NDMxNTAkajU1JGwwJGgw #/registration