An alarming piece of legislation was introduced last week by Rep. Heise and is quickly being moved to committee Thursday, May 14th. It would exempt oil & gas companies like Enbridge from disclosing pipeline and energy-related information under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We need more information on critical pipelines like Line 5, not less!… Read more »
When: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 “Green Drinks” at 5:30 p.m., Lecture at 7 p.m. Where: Tifft Nature Preserve’s new auditorium, Buffalo, NY What: A lecture with national expert Jim Olson, President and founder of FLOW (For Love of Water)—a national organization dedicated to advancing public trust solutions to save the waters of the Great Lakes. There will… Read more »
According to a press release issued by Citizens for Oil-Free Backyards, earlier this week the Supervisor of Wells, Harold R. Fitch, issued an instruction concerning the regulation of oil and gas drilling in high population density areas. The instruction, aptly named Oil and Gas Development in High Population Density Areas, is an important legislative step… Read more »
This week, the Detroit Free Press published an interesting article detailing some of the conflict related to the drilling that happened in Shelby and Scio Townships this past summer. Jim Olson, FLOW’s President and Founder, was interviewed for the article and in it talks about the rights and abilities of local governments in relation to oil… Read more »
By Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press February 5, 2015 (Photo: Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press) Jamie Calaguas mostly remembers the noise. The grinding, whining, constant hum of industrial activity — but not from a factory. The clamor was coming from the 109-foot oil well West Bay Exploration was drilling outside her back door. In a residential… Read more »
6 Counties Cut from Proposed ET Rover Pipeline Route By Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press February 2, 2015 (Photo: Energy Transfer) A large natural-gas transmission pipeline proposed for construction through southeast Michigan will now impact far fewer counties. A deal with an existing pipeline operator means the ET Rover pipeline will no longer be built… Read more »
A great article calling for full transparency from Enbridge and the State in relation to the Line 5 oil pipelines, written by Sarah Koehn (a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, and the policy intern at West Michigan Environmental Action Council), was recently published in the Grand Haven Tribune. She concludes: “The people of Michigan… Read more »
A great article written by Christine Green, a trustee of Scio Township, was published this week in Bridge Magazine. She calls for the restoration of townships’ zoning authority, and points out that, “Cities and villages, no matter what their size, may exercise full zoning power over drilling, but townships of any size cannot. What’s the rationale?… Read more »
BRIDGE News and analysis from The Center for Michigan Detroit water shutoffs must end 2 December 2014 by Jim Olson Detroit’s emergency manager filed for bankruptcy in July 2013 to force creditors to negotiate a bankruptcy plan that would slash the city’s unwieldy debt. Last month, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit approved a plan… Read more »
By Paul Gingras of the St. Ignace News Oct. 9, 2014 www.stignacenews.com/news/2014-10-09/Front_Page/State_Urged_to_Get_Involved_at_Line_5.html Citizens called on Governor Rick Snyder Monday, October 6, to exert state authority to prevent a potentially catastrophic oil spill from Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 petroleum pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Increased conveyance of petroleum products and the potential for heavier forms… Read more »
