Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Michigan is literally and metaphorically defined by its natural resources. The Great Lakes, our forests, inland lakes and streams all offer outdoor experiences that cannot be found anyplace else in the world. These resources provide our state with a tourism industry, but that industry can only be strong if we preserve our natural resources. As Mayor of East Lansing, Sam strengthened the city's wetland protection ordinances and signed the Mayor's Climate Agreement, which committed the community to reducing its carbon emissions as a response to the Kyoto Protocols. On a state level, Sam knows that we need to protect the Great Lakes and preserve the quality of our drinking water. Our state parks and campgrounds have received funding cuts which makes it difficult to maintain them and less enjoyable for visitors, that trend must stop if increasing tourism is our goal.

Sam believes that we need to set a long term plan for clean energy and energy consumption. Creating a plan that looks to the near and distant future creates stability and helps us structure our decisions. We need to commit to investing in alternative and green energy jobs as a way to diversify our economy and secure our long-term conservation efforts.

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