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What's Your Elected Official's Voting Record?
Check out these two publications for the environmental voting records of your elected representatives in
Lansing and Washington, D.C.
• The League of Conservation Voters has published a National Environmental Scorecard for every session
of Congress since 1970. The League also produces a shorter version that covers U.S. representatives and senators
from the Midwest.
The full scorecard information is available on the Internet at < http://www.lcv.org>. You also may obtain a copy
of the national or Midwest regional scorecard by contacting Lisa Wozniak at 1018 Congress St., Ypsilanti, MI
48197. Tel. 734-485-1162, fax 734-485-1182, email <lcvmi@igc.apc.org>.
• The Sierra Club-Mackinac Chapter publishes vote charts of the Michigan Senate and Housefor each
legislative session. The charts for the current session were published in the August issue of the club's newsletter,
The Mackinac. To obtain a copy, call 517-484-2372.
How Gov. Engler and Geoffrey Fieger
Responded to Our Top Environmental Questions |
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Resource Management
The state of Michigan owns and
manages extensive natural
resources -- covering water, forests,
and minerals.
Question:Do Michigan's
resource management programs
appropriatel balance environmental
protection, revenue to the public
treasury, and the promotion of
industry? What policy changes
would you make, if any?
Gov. Engler:
Yes. We must use and reuse land
more wisely. For example,
environmental reforms in 1995 have
resulted in over $300 million of
private money invested in cleaning
up and reusing contaminated sites
resulting in over 3,400 jobs. In
addition, I have proposed the Clean
Michigan Initiative which would
allocate an additional $335 million
for environmental cleanup and
brownfield redevelopment.
Geoffrey Fieger:
No. The recent direction reflects an
explicit attempt to sell Michigan's
natural resources to address budget
shortfalls. Oil and gas leasing has
continued without regard to the
environment and health. Wetlands
protections have been eviscerated.
Decisions are not being made by
field staff, but Lansing bureaucrats.
We must change the DNR/DEQ's
orientation to protect people and
preserve the environment. A land
use policy - involving citizens - is
needed to reverse damage done to
our forests, air, and water quality by
the Engler Administration.
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Land Use
A large number of studies
sponsored by the state, the federal
government, the Michigan
Legislature and the private sector
have identified haphazard land use
planning and development, or
sprawl, as the single greatest threat
to Michigan's environment.
Question:Is sprawl in
Michigan of concern to you?
What specific measures would
your administration take to
change land use planning and
guide development?
Gov. Engler:
Yes. Michigan's economy is
better than ever, and the quality
of air and water is better as well.
Michigan has record low
unemployment and we have
worked with auto makers to cut
toxic emissions by 56%.
Because of our economic
strength and our recent credit
upgrade, I have proposed the
Clean Michigan Initiative, a $675
million environmental bond to
further improve our quality of life.
Geoffrey Fieger:
Sprawl is a critical concern.
To arrest it, we need an
environmentally sound statewide
land use plan that is not driven by
campaign contributions. We would
provide disincentives for sprawl
through taxation and insist that
developers build their own
infrastructure. We would provide
incentives to redevelop urban areas.
We would define wetlands
consistently and not allow them to
be developed. These are just a few
examples to give you a sense of our
commitment.
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Citizen Involvement
Since 1991, 19 citizen advisory
boards or oversight councils
working with the Department of
Natural Resources have been
eliminated or greatly weakened, and
the Department of Environmental
Quality operates without any citizen
oversight board.
Question:Is there sufficient
citizen involvement in Michigan's
environmental policy making? What
changes would you make to the
current system, if any?
Gov. Engler:
Citizen access to and
involvement in Michigan's
environmental policy making is
excellent. In fact, more citizen
involvement exists with
environmental and natural resource
issues than virtually any other
policy area. The election of the
Governor and state legislators,
the legislative process, Natural
Resource Commission meetings,
public hearings, department Internet
pages, and printed departmental
calendars give the public numerous
opportunities for access.
Geoffrey Fieger:
No. The lack of citizen involvement,
and even contempt for citizens, by
Gov. Engler and the DNR/DEQ is
obvious from the fact that citizens
frequently have to go to court to
enforce environmental laws that
should be enforced by the state. We
believe that we have to structure real
citizen input and oversight into
DNR/DEQ policy and programs. In
October we will detail a plan to revive
the DNR/DEQ.
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