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In a new web video, NextGen Climate is calling out Michigan Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land after her shameful ad made false accusations over funds pledged toward the victims of wildfires. But it’s Land who welcomed millions in outside money into her race—including the Koch brothers’ PAC. These are the same Koch brothers that have threatened Michigan’s air and water quality with their dirty petroleum coke stockpiles. Instead of launching false attacks, Land should stand up to the Kochs and publicly oppose the efforts to bring their dirty tar sands byproducts back to Michigan.
And here’s a great roundup of related news from NextGen Climate:
KOCH BROTHERS DIRTY ENERGY STOCKPILE THREATENED MICHIGAN’S AIR AND WATER
The Koch Brothers’ Company, Koch Carbon, Had An “Ever-Growing Black Mountain” Of Petroleum Coke Located On The Detroit River. “Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they’ve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the Detroit River. Detroit’s ever-growing black mountain is the unloved, unwanted and long overlooked byproduct of Canada’s oil sands boom. And no one knows quite what to do about it, except Koch Carbon, which owns it. The company is controlled by Charles and David Koch, wealthy industrialists who back a number of conservative and libertarian causes including activist groups that challenge the science behind climate change.” [New York Times, 5/17/13]
Toxic Metals, Including Selenium and Vanadium, Were Detected In The Petcoke Pile, Which Present Runoff and Dust Concerns. “Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib, who represents the neighborhood where the pet coke has been piled up, called on the Ecology Center to test samples she collected at the site earlier this year and cited the results in her call for state action. ‘Two of the toxic metals we detected, selenium and vanadium, are of concern in runoff and dust,’ according to Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center.” [Ecology Center, 6/2013]
TERRI LYNN LAND INVITED MILLIONS IN SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY LIKE THE KOCH BROTHERS’ PAC TO SUPPORT HER CAMPAIGN
August 2013: At A Fundraiser Terri Lynn Land Said She Invited Special Interest Money Intro Her Race, Saying “We’ve Got New Folks Out There Who Are Raising Money. That’s The Super PACs. … Now, Our Campaign Has Talked To A Lot Of These Folks. They’re Committed To Michigan. “‘So, my husband and I, like I said, are committed to this. We’re out on the road, we’re raising money, it’s going to take a lot of resources to do this,’ Lind says in the video, provided to The Huffington Post by a reader who attended the August party. ‘It’s probably a $20 million campaign. But the reality is, we’ve got new folks out there who are raising money. That’s the super PACs.’ … ‘Now this is a whole new world and after, some of you remember, the Citizens United lawsuit that happened, which actually started here in Michigan,’ Land said in the video. ‘I don’t know if some of you know that it started here in Michigan. And that changed the dynamics of politics, restricted the parties, but it let individuals and others raise resources to do that.’ ‘Now, our campaign has talked to a lot of those folks,’ she added. ‘They’re committed to Michigan.’” [Huffington Post, 9/25/13] - Planetsave, 5/9/14
The only reason this race is competitive is because Rep. Gary Peters (D. MI) has gone after Koch Carbon and the affects of pet coke in the House and has been a big opponent of the Keystone XL Pipeline which Land has been attacking him on:
http://www.detroitnews.com/...
Land is trying to make the opposition of Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, to the controversial pipeline that would carry oil from the Canadian tar sands to U.S. refineries, a campaign issue. Her ads cite media reports that Peters attended a Feb. 19 event with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and former Vice President Al Gore at the San Francisco home of Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager who has vowed to spend tens of millions in favor of candidates who oppose the pipeline.
“Gary Peters — working for billionaires not Michigan,” say the two ads from Land. “Steyer could make millions by killing the pipeline by investments in Keystone’s competitor.”
Last month, the Obama administration indefinitely delayed a decision on the pipeline — potentially until after the 2014 midterm elections.
The State Department said it was delaying a decision on whether to approve a permit citing a decision by a Nebraska court to invalidate part of the pipeline route. The Nebraska Supreme Court is expected to take up the case this fall.
The U.S. government has been studying the issue for more than five years. Supporters say the pipeline will create jobs while opponents say the project is environmentally unsound and will boost heat-trapping gas emissions and warn of potential spills. - The Detroit News, 5/8/14
Meanwhile, Peters is keeping up the fight to raise the minimum wage:
As the son of a teacher and a nurse, I was raised to believe in the American Dream. But for the 96,000 Michiganders currently earning minimum wage or less, that dream is out of reach.
Recently, the federal minimum wage has failed to keep pace with inflation, leaving millions of Americans struggling to keep themselves and their families afloat.
The federal minimum wage is stuck at $7.25 and Tea Party Republicans continue to block legislation that would give hardworking Americans a raise.
Michigan workers and their families deserve a fair shot to work their way into the middle class.
This month I’m joining some Democratic colleagues to demand that Congress stop stalling and raise the federal minimum wage, and we need your help. Click here to add your voice to ours. We can’t afford to let obstructionists keep our working families in poverty.
http://signforgood.com/...
Henry Ford said that raising the minimum wage he paid his workers was one of the best cost cutting decisions he ever made. It enhanced worker productivity and reduced turnover. It is our legacy and our future to invest in our workers and our businesses to make Michigan, and our country, stronger.
We can’t allow Republican obstructionism in Congress to keep millions in poverty and hold our economy back.
Add your voice today to let Congress know where you stand on raising the minimum wage.
http://signforgood.com/...
Sincerely,
Gary
Click here to add your name:
http://signforgood.com/...
And if you want to donate and get involved with Peters' campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.petersformichigan.com/...