Environment takes back seat in governor’s race

Although tourism is one of the Michigan’s largest industries and thousands of former commercial and industrial sites blot the landscape and are seeping toxins into the water, so far environmental issues don’t seem to be playing much of a role in the race for governor.

Last week just three of the seven candidates for governor agreed to discuss environmental issues at a forum sponsored by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

Republicans Rick Snyder and State Sen. Tom George and Democrat Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero attended the forum, which was put on at CMU in partnership with the Detroit Free Press and Michigan Public Radio.

Though streamed live Online, and broadcast by Michigan Public Radio, the event received scant coverage in the print media.

There was significant agreement between the candidates on many of the issues raised.

All, for example, felt that it would be wise for Michigan to allow Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Maroun to build a second bridge span at his own expense rather than allowing Canada to help finance the construction of a public bridge.

All the candidates said they felt the renewable energy and efficiency were very important but George and Snyder said that the potential for expansion and jobs in the states green energy sector had been exaggerated.

Snyder and Bernero expressed optimism that wind turbines could contribute meaningfully to state efforts for cleaner energy, while George said he worried that off shore wind farms could damage the state’s scenic vistas and that transmission lines, energy storage and maintenance of the turbines present problems.

None of the candidates supported the idea of increasing Michigan’s renewable portfolio standards.

All of the candidates said that it was sometimes appropriate for Michigan to have environmental regulations that are tougher than federal standards and that Michigan should retain its wetland permitting program even if doing so means finding new money for the program.

“The governor did propose scrapping the wetland program,” George said, “and it was the Senate Republicans that saved it.”

“It is important that we retain control of our environmental programs,” he said, suggesting that one option for funding them would be through public-private partnerships.

The candidates also expressed support for expanded mining in the Upper Peninsula, though Bernero was careful to emphasize the need for properly funded state oversight of mining activities.

“Let free enterprise work and let miners go do mining,” Snyder said, adding that it is better that mining happen in Michigan, which has more environmental regulation than some other places.

Kerry Duggan, executive director of the MLCV, said she is concerned about the candidates’ attitude about the proposed Kennecott nickel mine and the expansion of other mining activities.

“The candidates showed a lack of understanding of the issue with the mining,” she said. “This is an issue that doesn’t get enough coverage down here in the mitten. We have a huge and wonderful freshwater lake that stands to be polluted if that mine goes forward.”

Another concern she said, was the way the candidates dealt with a question about whether Michigan should, like the federal government, have rules banning policies that would put a disproportionate burden on low income or minority communities — none really responded to the question.

Tom George said that laws should be enforced uniformly and fairly and not in a way that is based on emotion, Rick Snyder said that the most important thing to do is to help poor people in the cities get jobs, and Bernero said that energy efficiency can help address problems in cities.

Duggan said she was impressed and heartened by candidate Rick Snyder’s choice to open his statements with a quote from former Republican Governor William Milliken, an environmentalist who is a member of the MLCV board.

“It is not only our privilege to preserve and protect our environment,” Snyder said, “it is our sovereign duty.”

The Snyder campaign has released detailed proposals for how to protect Michigan’s environment and how to address invasive aquatic species.

Hugh McDiarmid, who works as communications director for the Michigan Environmental Council wrote on his personal blog that Snyder’s answers “plainly showed that he has invested time in understanding –- in far more depth than talking points — how Michigan’s natural resources are integrally linked to the economy and the health of Michiganders.”

Snyder’s solution for most problems — transportation, renewable energy, natural resource extraction — is to “let the market work.” During the forum he said that allowing free enterprise to take care of problems is his “default setting.”

Tom George, who is a practicing physician, emphasized that environmental policy should be based on science. George emphasized that health is linked to environmental issues and highlighted his legislative work on the recently enacted smoking ban and on limiting the number of highway billboards.

Bernero described himself as “one of the greenest mayors in Michigan.” He said that Lansing set a goal of getting 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 before the state adopted its less ambitious standard. Bererno said that developing energy efficiency is “the right thing to do morally, financially, and environmentally.”

Duggan said that she found it encouraging that Bernero understands the economic importance of efficiency.

Those who did not participate

McDiarmid said the no-shows from other candidates is a matter of concern. “The message from the no-shows,” he wrote, “is either that they do not consider Michigan’s environment a priority; do not understand the monumental importance of natural resources to our economy; or they are unwilling to defend the decisions and votes they’ve made in the past on environmental issues.”

Gayle Miller, legislative director for the Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter, said it will be hard to endorse a candidate who won’t even speak on environmental issues and she said that she found it troubling that House Speaker Andy Dillon did not participate in the forum.

“Andy Dillon has been in the dog house for a long time,” she said, because of his support for the development of a new Consumers Energy coal plant near Bay City.

“We need to increase our energy efficiency standards,” she said. “If we build more coal plants our energy costs are going to skyrocket. From an environmental standpoint they are a disaster and from an economic standpoint they are an even bigger disaster.”

Michigan Messenger asked the Dillon campaign to describe the candidates concerns about Michigan’s environment.

Campaign spokesman Ken Coleman said that banning imported Canadian trash, prohibiting the sale of Michigan groundwater, and strengthening the protection of the Great Lakes from pollution and introduction of disruptive species like Asian carp are Dillon’s top environmental priorities, though he did not offer details on how these goals might be achieved.

On preventing the migration of Asian carp Coleman said, “The AG is seeking to use legal remedies. This is a strategy Andy thinks may work.”

Dillon has also said that the state should be run more like the Dow Chemical company, a comparison likely to concern those who feel that Dow has dragged its feet addressing the chemical contamination it has caused in the Saginaw Bay watershed.

Sara Sendek, spokeswoman for the Hoekstra campaign e-mailed this statement:

“Living in the lakeside town of Holland, Pete has always been a strong supporter of preserving our state’s unique environment. Working collaboratively with local stakeholders and the government, Pete worked to help clean up Areas of Concern in West Michigan such as Ruddiman Creek in Muskegon. Pete is also pushing bipartisan legislation through Congress to help preserve Sleeping Bear Dunes. Pete has a deep appreciation of the lakes, streams and all that Michigan has to offer.

“However, as Michigan is seeing skyrocketing unemployment rates, the number one priority for our state is bringing jobs back to Michigan. After eight years of failed leadership from the Granholm Administration, Pete will do everything he can to put our state back on the path to prosperity.”

The campaigns of Republicans Attorney General Mike Cox and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard did not respond to a request for information about the candidates’ top environmental concerns.

But does any of this make much of a difference in either the party primaries or the general election? Bill Ballenger, publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, says that environmental issues will not play a role in the Republican primary and will only be of marginal importance for the Democrats.

Nonetheless, the MLCV’s Duggan said that her organization is considering hosting another candidates forum after the primaries.