Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan

Please join me in welcoming into the world my bouncing baby Substack, Food, Not Batteries: an environmentalist's fight to save Michigan from green energy, through restorative agriculture. Through the lens of the citizen lobbying work I've been doing with Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan over the last two years, I'll be exploring topics of climate, environment, energy, and agriculture, with a particular focus on: - exposing the lie of renewable energy and its supply chain; - addressing the neocolonialism of modern public-private industrial development - the root cause of industry’s obsession with energy growth; and - how and why soil restoration, not carbon capture, can save our species from extinction. Take a peek, and if it vibes with you don't forget to do the things: like, subscribe for free, or consider becoming a paid subscriber. #substack #writing #environmentalism #climateaction #neocolonialism #localagriculture #nature #stewardship

"While the ethics violations and gross conflicts of interest outlined in the complaint are alone concerning, the picture which Ms. Hughes' research has revealed is much larger. It alleges a complex web of unions, political organizations, SuperPACs, nonprofits, Governor Whitmer’s campaign, and taxpayer funding flowing from the MEDC. Ms. Hughes points out in her complaint: this research focuses on just two clusters of conspirators within the MEDC and its Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) board. Many more clusters may exist. The MEDC and its funding arm, the MSF board, under the Whitmer administration, have handed out billions in Michigan taxpayer dollars to multinational corporations. This funding has largely gone towards building toxic heavy industrial facilities that threaten the integrity of the Great Lakes Watershed, which contain over 20% of the world’s fresh water." #michigan #michiganbusiness #climate #corruption #development #energytransition #greednewdeal https://lnkd.in/gt3236YH

"In their letter against the DNR’s solar development, Michigan’s Republicans expressed the need for environmental protection, caution, and resident input. Yet in their letter regarding the Copperwood Mine, the very same Republicans attack Michigan residents, slander the integrity of their bipartisan grassroots activism, and demand that Michigan officials play fast and loose with substandard, poorly enforced state environmental regulations. Both Michigan Democrats and Republicans have demonstrated, clearly and repeatedly, that they do not care about their constituents, and they do not care about the environment. The only issue which seems to truly motivate Michigan’s legislators is corporate profit. Michigan residents deserve better–and her abundant land and water deserve true protection." https://lnkd.in/g3Zq5_hS #corruption #environmentaljustice #michiganbusiness #medc #waterislife

"Last week, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources announced its plan to allow 420 acres of public forest near Gaylord to be clear cut and leased out to industrial solar energy developers. The flagrant disregard for Michigan’s public forest–and of all basic common reasoning–demonstrated by this plan has Michigan residents and legislators up in arms. State House Representatives Borton, Hoadley, and Hoitenga have called for the firings of all DNR officials responsible for this decision. Unfortunately, to date, no Michigan Democrats have expressed concern. To understand why this issue is split along partisan lines, we need look no further than Governor Whitmer’s “MI Healthy Climate Plan,” a package of so-called “green” energy bills signed into law in November of 2023. The plan’s “Clean the Grid” pillar mandates that Michigan “generate 60 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources…by 2030,” with “renewable” referring to utility-scale wind and solar–which, as we’ve discussed many times before, are neither green nor renewable. To achieve this goal, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has decided that Michigan must develop an additional 209,000 acres of utility-scale solar fields across the state. That’s 0.5% of the entire state’s landmass. Michigan’s DNR has decided to join the energy development gold rush. The 420 acres near Gaylord are just the beginning. DNR’s leadership has decided to lease 4,000 acres of state land–which is largely forest–to solar developers. These moves by state officials are in line with federal policies. Last year, the US Bureau of Land Management announced plans to transform over 31 million acres of Federally-protected US land into solar developments. At both state and federal levels, Democratic politicians have unilaterally supported these “Green New Deal” policies, thanks to the draconian influence of senior politicians and their profit motives. This is why the only politicians speaking out (selectively) against these projects are Republicans: because it gives them an angle from which to rub Democrats’ hypocrisy in their faces. But Republicans have yet to consistently support environmental values. The GOP’s pro-development stance has always placed it staunchly against environmental concerns; consider Congressman Moolenaar’s track record of voting to strip the EPA of its funding to facilitate semiconductor and EV development. So taking pro-environmental stances is tricky for Republicans; many of them run the risk of alienating their corporate donors. In other words: neither party actually gives a hoot about the environment–but it might benefit the Republicans to pretend they do, right now." #climatecorruption #greednewdeal #solar #energytransition #corruption #michiganbusiness #deforestation #bioticpump #environmentaljustice #soil4climate #waterislife https://lnkd.in/gvS75z9s

We are incredibly excited to present to sustainability investors, and to Michigan residents, our plan for alternative megasite development in Michigan. The Regenerative Agriculture Megasite contains four key components: 1) a food & fiber hub (as defined by the USDA), 2) a New Farm School (Montessori & project based learning, K-12), 3) a 200+ acre native habitat park, and 4) a Made in MI retail corridor. Working together to create a closed-loop system of supply and demand which imitate nature's own ecologies, these four components combined into one Regenerative Agriculture Megasite meet a host of key goals for community members, investors, and climate activists alike: - lasting carbon mitigation through soil restoration, water conservation, and habitat preservation - increase local food security - improve health & safety of local food - reduce local residents' overall carbon footprint - stimulate job creation up and down the agricultural supply chain - improve quality of local public education - provide youth with training and education in real-world skills which match their generation's priorities of environmental preservation and sustainability - provide public, barrier-free access to nature and outdoor recreation - create space for local folk festivals - boost local retail - revitalize the local small business economy - and much, much more! Here in Part 1, we explore Michigan local communities' need for economic development due to specific types of disinvestment, and how the concept of the Regenerative Agriculture Megasite was developed through grassroots research. Please follow and stay tuned for parts 2-6! #regenerativeagriculture #investment #climatesolutions #startup #soilforclimate #grassrootsaction #economicdevelopment #environmentaljustice #michiganbusiness #seedinvestment

"But?why? We’re a grassroots lobbying organization. Why are we spending our time on local placemaking events? Because?study?after?study?has confirmed that local events and cultural expression are the glue of the community. Socially, emotionally, and yes: economically. A community where locals don’t know their neighbors, don’t participate in local arts, and don’t take pride in their community is a community where people don’t spend their money. In other words: our disconnection from one another and from our public spaces literally make us more poor, as a community." #economicdevelopment #grassrootsaction #environmentaljustice #economicjustice #stakeholders #michiganbusiness https://lnkd.in/gYbG7eHf

"The ongoing battle over the Marshall Megasite is a critical moment for environmental accountability in Michigan. With groups like EDRA pushing for stricter enforcement and MAEDA’s persistent violations, the outcome will have far-reaching implications for the state’s water protection standards and corporate responsibility." #michiganbusiness #energytransition #environmentaljustice #ev #industrialdevelopment #pollution

We do thank Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's Director Phil Roos for replying directly to our September 9th letter asking for enforcement of environmental permitting regulations at the Marshall MAJOR megasite campus. It's our sincere hope that this is the beginning of an essential and more open dialogue between EGLE and local citizens. While EGLE did address some of our concerns in their letter, Mr. Roos' response did not satisfy our requests for enforcement of NPDES permitting violations. We've reiterated those requests to Mr. Roos and his staff. Our thanks to the Committee For Marshall – Not the Megasite for their endorsement of the letter, and their continued efforts to protect Marshall's community, water, and habitat. EGLE's response letter and our reply have both been made publicly available - see link. #environmentaljustice #EPA #environmentalregulation #industrialpollution #grassroots #citizenlobbying #corporateaccountability #waterprotection #waterislife https://lnkd.in/g9yznshp

"Statewide media outlets have taken note of the 13 NPDES?permit violations and formal compliance actions?MAEDA incurred up through July 2024. By August 6th, MAEDA incurred five more, and EGLE found that none of the previous violations had been remedied. Over the summer to date, there have been a minimum of?four documented instances where sediment-laden stormwater unlawfully exited MAEDA’s construction site, traveled over 303 designated wetlands, and entered the Kalamazoo River. Dating back to fall of 2023, MAEDA (and its network of at least five contractors) has demonstrated a consistent pattern of: - failure to provide a timeline for site stabilization (first noted October 2023) - failure to properly document on-site progress in weekly logs (first noted October 2023) - providing inadequate SESC plans (first noted November 2023) - failure to follow, properly implement, and maintain existing SESC plans (first noted June 2024) Yet since fall of 2023, EGLE has renewed MAEDA’s NPDES permits three times–in some cases directly after violations have occurred (see attached timeline for detail). More urgently: it’s clear that further regulatory protections are necessary to mitigate damage to adjacent wetlands and streams. In January 2024, EGLE determined that no Part 301 and 303 permits would be required because MAEDA’s stormwater management plan is?to capture and infiltrate all runoff from up to the 100-year storm, in both temporary and permanent stabilized conditions. However, in the minimum of four instances of polluted stormwater leaving the MAJOR site and entering the Kalamazoo River, the stormwater traveled through wetlands, as noted in four on-site inspections conducted by EGLE’s local quality analysis team. It’s clear that the plan MAEDA and its contractors have designed to capture and infiltrate all runoff is not feasible. Given both the apparent inadequacy of the site plan and the pattern of noncompliance demonstrated by MAEDA’s team, it’s extremely likely that unfiltered stormwater will continue to contaminate these protected bodies of water."

"Local resident voices were suspiciously absent–and not for lack of community interest. The MSF quietly changed its public comment policy to require community members to pre-register to comment before 3pm the day before the meeting. Local resident, business owner, and engineer JoAn Mende, was unable to attend the meeting due to work constraints–as were many of her peers. “It is counter-intuitive that the Flint and Genesee Group Foundation (FGGF), an organization that produces neither goods or services, continues to receive financial support to the tune of $250M in addition to previously granted $9.2MM last month, to simply bolster their capacity to attract (i.e. bribe) business investment in the 1000 acre site.” Ms. Mende says Mr. Rossmaessler “fails to appreciate the voices of Mundy Township residents who have the real skin in the game… The middle class, the backbone of Mundy Township (and America), already see their income taxed 30%, and the spending orgy on so-called "shovel ready advanced manufacturing projects" may easily increase that to upwards of 50%. Residents are gas-lighted for opposing the "advanced Manufacturing Mega-site" as being anti-job, anti-growth, even anti-youth. “On the contrary, we want the best for the next generation's future. We want jobs that won't subject the worker to toxic, forever chemicals, or to mentally stressful working conditions. We want jobs that highlight the agricultural wealth that is present in Mundy Township. We also don't want decisions to be made hastily without developers taking time to do their due diligence on environmental and safety issues.”" #michiganbusiness #energytransition #environmentaljustice #greenenergy #corruption #waterislife https://lnkd.in/gkpX6w36