Michigan Environmental Council

Protect Michigan's Wetlands, Lakes and Streams

SB 1211 strips vital protections away from 70,000 wetlands and 4,000 inland lakes. Urge your state rep to vote no using this simple form

Email your State Rep

Help Protect Pure Michigan

HB 4205 would have far-reaching negative impacts on both public health and the environment. The Great Lake State should not rely on one-size-fits-all federal standards that only provide minimum protections.

Contact Governor Snyder

PFAS in Michigan: What we know and what we need

Michigan lawmakers are not moving fast enough to address the growing PFAS crisis. Use this from to urge your state representative to take action now

Contact your State Rep

Stop Toxic Algae Blooms

Algae blooms have plagued the state of Michigan for too long. Hold Governor Snyder and the state legislature accountable for protecting our waters by signing this petition.

Sign the Petition

Working For A Healthy Environment

We work with almost 70 organizations to promote public policies that ensure Michigan families will enjoy clear waters, clean beaches, beautiful landscapes and healthy communities for years to come.

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Priorities

Our program priorities detail Michigan's opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Clean Water

Human Health

Energy & Climate Change

Land & Conservation

Cities & Hometowns

Environmental Justice

Michigan Environmental Report

Michigan Environmental News

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Lame Duck Legislation

December 10, 2018

We are into week two of lame duck* with two weeks left to go. As promised, we have an update for you on what is happening at the Capitol. It’s not pretty.

*Lame duck: a period of time when successors have been chosen for elected officials. Politicians who will be leaving their position remain in power until they are officially replaced on inauguration day.

This is the second installment of our Capitol Countdown to the New Year. Through the end of the year, we’ll be keeping track and reporting back to you on lame duck legislation that will either hurt or help the health of Michigan’s people and environment. We have also created forms that make it simple and fast for you to email your state lawmakers (see the links below).

Action Alert! Tell your Rep to vote no on HB 4205

December 07, 2018

We have a huge and urgent problem. The Michigan House is poised to vote on a bill that would bar any state agency from setting more protective standards than the federal government. House Bill 4205, also known as “No Stricter than Federal,” was taken up in the Michigan House this week, after sitting stagnant for more than a year. We successfully held off a vote for now, but the bill will be back up next week and pressure is mounting on legislators to vote yes.

Senate Bill Introduced to Natural Resources Committee Threatens Wetlands, Lakes, and Streams

November 28, 2018

On Wednesday, November 28, the Senate Natural Resources Committee heard testimony on SB 1211 introduced by Senator Tom Casperson. Michigan Environmental Council, as well as many other environmental organizations, are strongly opposed to this bill. SB 1211 will completely overhaul how Michigan’s wetlands, inland lakes and streams are regulated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Currently, Michigan is one of two states with delegated authority from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer the Clean Water Act. Michigan’s program is already noncompliant with federal standards, and SB 1211 will push us further out of compliance. The result is increased degradation of our water quality and the elimination of lakes and wetlands vital for ecological health and outdoor recreation. Michigan Environmental Council released the following statement in response:

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