Politics 2000
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June/July 2000
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Features
Cleaner Air Coming to Detroit
Henry Ford Hospital to Close Incinerator
by Mary Beth Doyle
Selling Their Future Short?
Engler Panel Ignores Doctors' Advice
by Dave Dempsey
Recycling Land
Brownfield Redevelopment is a Balancing Act of Priorities
by Mike Tolinski
Dumbing Down the Children
Michigan, Other States Ignore Federal Lead Testing Law
by Peter Montague
Columns
Tiny Township Turns Down GM
Rural Milan Residents Reject Rail-Car Yard, by Aretta Schills
Diet, Health, and the Environment
An Interview with John Robbins, by Rachel Shaw
Healthy Home and Garden
Energy Star Products Save Cash and Power, by Kristi Jacques
Huron Valley News
Webster Township Holds Sprawl Forum, by Ernie Becker
Science for the People
Pesticides Linked to Decreased Fertility, by Mary Beth Doyle
Michigan's Environmental Zeroes and Heroes
In February, the League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action, and Sierra Club released environmental ratings for Michigan's Congressional delegation based on their 1999 votes on key environmental legislation.
Senator Spencer Abraham and Representatives Joe Knollenberg (R-Bloomfield Hills) and Dave Camp (R-Midland) each earned zero percent ratings. "A zero indicates a complete unwillingness to protect Michigan's environment," said Alison Horton of the Sierra Club.
Not all of Michigan's grades were so poor. "Michigan can still be proud of our environmental leaders in Congress, like Minority Whip David Bonior (D-Mt. Clemens)," said Clean Water Action's Michigan Program Director Brad Wilson. Other notable environmental leaders from Michigan's delegation include Representatives Sander Levin (D-Southfield), John Conyers (D-Detroit), Dale Kildee (D-Flint) and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Detroit). All four of these legislators received a strong 94 percent rating.
This year's LCV Scorecard is available at http://www.lcv.org/scorecard.
Who Owns Whom?
A study by the Center for Responsive Politics finds that major industries are favoring Republicans over Democrats by a dramatic margin for campaign contributions. In Michigan, Spencer Abraham has a 10-1 lead over competitor Debbie Stabenow in contributions from the auto, chemical, and real estate industries, and a 5-1 lead in donations from the waste and drug industries. On the whole, the five industries gave an average of $45,000 to each of Michigan's 6 congressional Republicans, and an average of $32,000 to each of the state's 10 congressional Democrats.
George W. Bush's Texas Environmental Record
During the primary season, the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action ran television ads attacking George W. Bush's poor record fighting pollution in Texas. What's the Governor's record?
According to the U.S. EPA, Texas is number one in the nation for releases of cancer-causing toxins into the environment.
According to Clean Water spokesperson Bethany Renfer, "Bush can claim he's taken Texas to number one on public health and environmental protection alright number one in violations of clean water standards, number one in toxic releases, and number one in ozone-depleting chemical emissions." According to research done by the City of Houston, the amount of high smog days in the Houston/Galveston area increased 20% since Bush became governor, and the region surpassed Los Angeles as the nation's smoggiest city. Bush also supported weak pollution control standards for aging power plants and passage of a polluter secrecy law which protects corporations from prosecution for environmental violations.
Bush Advisor Proposed Auction of All Public Lands
The Center for Biological Diversity discovered recently that Terry L. Anderson, environmental advisor to George W. Bush Jr., has proposed to auction off all 600 million acres of federal public lands in the U.S. over the next 20-40 years. Anderson's proposal would include every national forest, wildlife refuge, BLM district, national monument, and national park. The proposal was published by the Cato Institute and can be seen at www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-363es.html.
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