Last week, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released reports that predicted yet another summer of toxic, cyanobacteria algae blooms in Lake Erie. Now, we would like to tell you part one of our three-part plan to stop these blooms from afflicting our Great Lakes and the other important waterways of Michigan. Our solution: Healthy soil.

Act now: Sign our petition to get Governor Snyder and the State Legislature to do something about toxic algae blooms

This week, MEC is leading a summit sponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) that will bring together top minds from around the country to better understand the connection between soil and watershed health. Tom Zimnicki, our Agriculture Policy Director, is on the steering committee of this summit, and is facilitating the discussions on how healthy soil begets clean water.

In response to a report released by Enbridge today on priority waters crossed by Line 5, the Michigan Environmental Council (MEC) issued the following statement.

“These reports do not alleviate the ever-growing threat of a spill in the Straits of Mackinac as a result of Line 5, and therefore, reaffirm the fact that the State of Michigan should immediately begin legal proceedings against Enbridge to terminate the easement that allows for a pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac.  

MEC also has the following concerns or comments on the reports:

“Michigan Environmental Council applauds Governor Snyder’s decision to veto HB 5095 which would have weakened Michigan’s ballast water regulation and increased the risk of new invasive species being brought into Michigan’s waters,” said MEC Policy Director James Clift.