UPDATE: We successfully garnered enough support to stop this bill moving forward. Thank you to our Great Lakes Senators! The United States Senate is poised to vote on the Coast Guard Authorization Act as early as this week. In its current form, the bill exempts ballast water pollution from Clean Water Act protections. Ships […]
Read MoreThis week: Budget Successes + Michigan Proposal to Weaken Mining Regulations + Pollution in the Straits + Celebrating Freshwater Heroes BUDGET SUCCESSES IN US AND CANADA The US Omnibus bill adopted by Congress on March 23 maintained stable funding for the EPA and several policy riders were erased. Because of Freshwater Future members like you […]
Read MoreYou can easily modify and send our recommend comments here. What’s Happening The City of Racine has requested that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approve a water diversion of 7 million gallons a day from Lake Michigan for use at Foxconn. The Great Lakes Compact (an eight-state agreement in place to manage water […]
Read MoreMichiganders, we need your help to stop two sets of bills that would undermine existing environmental protections and dramatically change how our environmental laws are implemented. If passed, these bills could impact all environmental law in Michigan, for years to come. Senate Bill 652 transfers decision-making power from environmental experts to a committee of stakeholders comprised […]
Read MoreSmall actions can make a big difference! At Freshwater Future, we help thousands of communities around the Great Lakes protect their local waters so that, together, we can protect the whole of the Great Lakes. Individual actions are powerful, too! Here are five little things with big impact that you can do to help keep […]
Read MoreThe vast majority of Americans—Republicans and Democrats—want the EPA to safeguard the streams that provide us drinking water and the wetlands that filter drinking water, protect communities from floods, and provide habitat for wildlife. Instead of listening to the will of the people, Scott Pruitt and President Trump’s EPA are proposing a plan that would […]
Read MoreTake Action — Tell Governor Snyder to VETO HB 5095 Lawmakers in Michigan recently passed a bill that would weaken Michigan’s ballast water pollution standards, sending it Governor Rick Snyder. House Bill 5095 would effectively repeal the standards passed in 2005 with near unanimous bipartisan support, and leave us to rely exclusively on weaker federal […]
Read MoreClick here to find your Senator and tell them to vote no on the Senate’s version of House Bill No. 4205. The Michigan state House voted in May 57 to 50 in favor of a bill (HB-4205) designed to restrict the ability of state agencies to create regulatory rules that are stronger than federal standards. If passed […]
Read MoreMany Michigan families know what it’s like to wake up after a thunderstorm to find their homes flooded with rainwater and raw sewage. The cleanup is costly and time consuming, and because it’s almost always the result of outdated city infrastructure, homeowners can’t prevent it. A new bill in the Michigan House leaves home and […]
Read MoreOpen-pit sulfide mines expose sensitive sulfide rock formations that release devastating and long-lasting pollution when mixed with water. Wisconsinites—tell your legislators to vote no on repealing “Prove It First.” Wisconsin State Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) introduced a bill that would effectively rescind the state’s “Prove It First” law. This landmark legislation requires mining corporations to […]
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