Election Day
Polls across the state are open today as Michiganders decide on mayoral races, various millages and one closely watched recall. There are mayoral races in Flint and Jackson. In Lansing, voters will decide if they want to increase their property taxes and in Detroit, residents are being asked if they want to change their city charter. And, constituents of Republican state Representative Paul Scott will decide whether he should be recalled. The recall is being spearheaded by the Michigan Education Association due to Scott’s support of cuts in state education funding and efforts to weaken the teachers’ union. You can find out what’s on your ballot here: Publius.
'Fracking' Moratorium
Some Michigan Democratic lawmakers are calling for a two-year moratorium on a procedure that is used to extract hard-to-reach oil and gas deposits. Rick Pluta reports:
Lawmakers are taking aim at a process called hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – where water, sand, and chemicals are sent down a well to loosen stubborn pockets of gas and oil. Critics say it has caused pollution and dried-up water wells in other states. Democratic state Representative Jeff Irwin thinks the procedure needs to be more tightly regulated as it becomes more common in Michigan… Brad Wurfel with the state Department of Environmental Quality said Michigan has some of the strictest fracking regulations in the country, and that the process has been safely used in the state's shallow rock for decades.
Nuclear Power
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says there are no environmental reasons to reject DTE Energy’s application to build a new nuclear power plant, the Associated Press reports. From the AP:
The NRC's staff has released a report for public comment on its analysis of plans for the Fermi 3 plant. The complex is near Monroe and Lake Erie in Monroe County's Frenchtown Township, northwest of Toledo, Ohio. The Monroe Evening News says the proposed cooling tower is larger than the two serving Fermi 2. Opponents say the plant would harm wetlands and feed toxic algae in Lake Erie.
