Filling a void left by the state, a Great Lakes law and policy group and its scientific advisors released a report today calling on the Snyder administration to take interim steps – including the immediate temporary halt of oil flowing through two aging pipelines in the Mackinac Straits – and swiftly pursue an “action plan”… Read more »
LANSING – This morning Attorney General Bill Schuette and DEQ Director Dan Wyant released the long-awaited Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force report, outlining specific recommendations to address the significant risks surrounding a Canadian pipeline company’s controversial twin pipelines (known as “Line 5” or the Straits Pipelines). The Task Force report establishes a framework to determine… 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 »
For Immediate Release: Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 Contact: David Holtz, Sierra Club 313-300-4454 david@davidholtz.org Liz Kirkwood, For Love of Water 231-94491568 liz@flowforwater.org Citizens groups concerned that Enbridge plans to bring more heavy oil through Michigan pipelines Citizens groups today called on Gov. Rick Snyder to take immediate steps toward protecting Michigan from oil pipelines… Read more »
Click here to read the article on record-eagle.com By The Associated Press July 25, 2014 TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Two oil pipelines at the bottom the waterway linking Lakes Huron and Michigan will get additional support structures to help prevent potentially devastating spills, officials said Thursday. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Dan Wyant,… Read more »
Click here to view and download the press release as a PDF. May 2, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Liz Kirkwoood, Executive Director 231 944 1568 or liz@flowforwater.org FLOW Awarded NMEAC John Nelson Water Steward Award TRAVERSE CITY– On April 25, 2014, Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council (NMEAC) honored FLOW with the John Nelson Water… Read more »
Pursuant to his recent publication in The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, the following are some thoughts from Jim Olson on the importance of the public trust doctrine at this time in history. Systemic Threats to Great Lakes Demand an Immediate Paradigm Shift to Water as Commons Protected By Public Trust “We forget that the… Read more »
At the heart of FLOW’s groundbreaking law and policy work is demonstrating how to apply public trust principles and make long-term policy decisions that will protect the waters, equitably balance competing uses, buttress the federal government’s billion dollar Great Lakes Restoration Initiative investment, and herald the lakes as a living, dynamic ecosystem.FLOW’s programs focus on… Read more »
Wetlands, or marshes, fens, bogs, and swamps, are the link between land and water. Wetlands include trees, grasses, shrubs, moss, and other plants that require at least some water coverage. Wetlands provide an abundance of essential ecosystem services, including: Water storage, storm protection, and flood mitigation Water purification through retention of nutrients, sediments, and pollutants… Read more »
Water is basic to the survival of all life. In 2010, the United Nations adopted Resolution 64/292 that “recognizes the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.” Water privatization is when private corporations buy or operate public water utilities…. Read more »
