I've been watching the diaries all day and aside from my own (which, admittedly, underplayed the seriousness of the situation), I haven't seen much attention paid to the latest massive petroleum-based environmental disaster:
(quick update: actually, DingellDem posted about it earlier today but it didn't make the Rec list, which it absolutely should--this is HUGE, especially on top of the Deepwater Horizon mess, of course)
Battle Creek area residents are being warned to stay away from the Kalamazoo River because of a major oil spill.
An estimated 840,000 gallons of oil leaked into a creek Monday that feeds into the river.
Area media were reporting that odor from the spill hung heavy over Battle Creek this morning.
"It is unknown at this time how far the spill has traveled and exactly what areas have been affected. It is assumed due to the current level of the Kalamazoo River and the speed of the current that the entire Emmett Township area and beyond has been affected," according to an advisory issued today by the Emmett Township Public Safety Department.
Calls to Chicago-based Enbridge Liquids Pipelines were not immediately returned today. A message on a company hotline set up for the spill said "we regret any inconvenience this has caused to the community."
...Wayne Hoepner, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, said oil from the spill could reach Lake Michigan as early as Sunday, although numerous variables could affect the flow rate.
(I hope DingellDem doesn't mind if I crib a few key points from his/her earlier diary on the subject--this is too important to let slide):
Channel 7 in Detroit is reporting that this is the "Worst oil spill in Midwest history."
Senator Carl Levin has released a statement on the spill:
"I am deeply concerned about the effects of the oil spill near Marshall, including the environmental impact and the disruption to residents and businesses. It is also deeply worrisome that the oil from the spill has made its way into the Kalamazoo River.
"My office has been in close contact with relevant federal agencies to make sure that those carrying out the cleanup have all the resources they need to complete the cleanup job as quickly as possible.
"For now, the focus is on limiting the damage and cleaning up the oil. It is also vitally important that the company responsible for the spill bear the costs of cleanup and that it compensate anyone who has suffered damages related to the spill. I will continue to do all I can to ensure that both the cleanup and the compensation of victims are quick and effective."
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has activated the state's emergency operations center, and has declared the areas impacted by the spill as state disaster areas. Link to full text of declaration:
Calhoun Disaster Declaration
Here's some video from WWMT in Kalamazoo:
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As horrible as this is, it naturally has serious political implications that can't possibly be ignored. As DingellDem put it, "Michigan's 7th is a highly competitive district. [Democratic freshman Mark] Schauer is in the fight of his life this year against former Representative Tim Walberg. It appears that the oil companies have just delivered Schauer a major campaign issue."
There's at least one other Michigan district in which this could have a serious impact as well, however: In neighboring MI-08, which covers Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston counties (including Lansing/East Lansing), incumbent Republican Mike Rogers--who would normally be considered quite safe--might want to start scrambling for cover.
You see, in addition to all the other douchey things he's done (including blaming Pres. Obama for Gen. McChrystal's insults in Rolling Stone and telling 9/11 First Responders to go f*ck themselves, five years ago, Rogers attempted to allow drilling in the Great Lakes!
Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) offered an amendment that would have permanently banned oil and gas drilling in and under the Great Lakes...
Unfortunately, Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) undermined that amendment in favor of a watered-down version that rendered the Stupak amendment meaningless.
“We need a hard and fast rule that says at no place or time should the drilling for oil and gas in and under the Great Lakes be allowed,” Stupak said. “However, just like the Republicans did with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Mike Rogers has opened the door for drilling and the destruction of the Great Lakes.”
In a procedural maneuver, Rogers amended the Stupak amendment thereby removing the meat of Stupak’s amendment.
This, however, is where things get a bit tricky.
Due to circumstances that I've explained in numerous previous diaries, the only name that's going to appear on the Democratic Primary ballot for Michigan's 8th Congressional District a week from today is that of a candidate who publicly dropped out of the race and then left the state...*after* the filing deadline, thus leaving the 8th District Dems in a bind.
Fortunately, a a pro-choice, progressive Democrat from Lansing named Lance Enderle has jumped in to try and salvage the situation by launching a write-in campaign for the Democratic primary.
If he's successful, we'll at least have a shot (an admittedly long shot, but a shot) in the fall. If not, Mike "Let's Drill for Oil in the Great Lakes!" Rogers will have a completely free ride in November.
Lance Enderle for Congress
Lance's ActBlue Page
Lance's Facebook Page
Full disclosure: While I'm working at a steep discount, I am still being paid as the Enderle campaign's web developer. Mostly, however, I'm just upset at the mess caused by Kande Ngalamulume's withdrawl and am trying to help salvage the situation.
Update: Thanks, everyone, and especially thanks to DingellDem, who not only wrote up a good chunk of this diary for me, but has also been providing additional details in the comments below.
On a related note, there was another important development connected to Michigan, the oil industry, and renewable energy that occurred yesterday: GM finally officially launched pricing of, and started taking pre-orders on, the CHEVY VOLT.
The importance of the Volt to GM specifically, Michigan's economy in general and the renewable energy cause at large cannot be overstated or exaggerated. If the Volt fails, you might as well stick a fork in GM 'cus it's done. If it succeeds, it (along with other plug-in electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and others on the way from Ford, Chrysler et al) may herald the end, at last, of our dependence on oil at all* (foreign or domestic).
The bottom line: The Internal Combustion Engine did it's job, did it well and served us faithfully for a century. However, it's become extremely clear that, like a party guest who stays too late, it has now worn out its welcome. It's time to move on.
*(yes, I know we use oil for plastic, lubricants and a host of other stuff, but you get my point).
Meanwhile, support Mark Schauer in MI-07, Gary Peters in MI-09 and especially (from my POV) Lance Enderle in MI-08!
Update x2: Some more updates this A.M.; thanks to Blogging for Michigan for the roundup:
--Governor Granholm is pissed and doesn't trust Enbridge one iota (understandably):
Calhoun and Kalamazoo Counties have both declared a state of emergency because of a massive oil spill near Marshall, making them eligible for federal help and the Governor wants the EPA to take over the cleanup immediately, and not leave it up to Enbridge Energy...
"I have great knowledge that companies will do what they can to protect their reputation, their interest and their shareholders. I worry that we were undersold in terms of the amount of crude that was released. We do not want to see a repeat of what happened in the Gulf."
--The DNRE (Dept. of Natural Resources & Environment) is on the case:
The area is being closed off with barricades where they can, and the DNRE is advising people to stay away, even issuing tickets to people on the water last night. Many volunteers have wanted to help with the animals, but the fear is they will do more harm than good - so please, leave that to the pros. Besides, this is a highly toxic environment that could make you sick as well.
--And, it appears that this environmental disaster may end up merging with another, earlier environmental disaster, morphing into some sort of toxic, Voltron-like SuperDisaster:
Another factor here is they aren't quite sure what will happen if this hits the PCBs that are present in the area. Past the dam on Morrow Lake is an EPA Superfund clean-up site, and they aren't too worried about it, but... well, you know how that goes.
On the other hand, if the oil does make it to Lake Michigan, I guess at least it'll kill off all of the Asian Carp that are making their way into the Great Lakes, so there's that. See? A silver lining! (Of course, it'll also kill all of the other fish as well, but that's just being a Negative Nancy!)
Update x3: Poll added in light of my earlier update about the Volt
Update x4: As someone pointed out in the comments, the "gas guzzling" choice in the poll below is terribly unfair--many people live in areas without decent public transportation, but at the same time, electric cars (whether hybrid or not) are too expensive for them, and will probably remain so for at least a few years. I actually wouldn't be able to afford a Volt at the moment myself (even with the $7,500 tax credit), though I do intend on buying one (or similar) when my current Hyundai dies on me.
I can't change the wording of the poll once it has votes, but wanted to at least apologize for the "guilt trip" language in that choice.