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Welcome to the
Environmental Briefng Book 
In the 1970s, Michigan was recognized as a national leader inprotecting natural resources. Bipartisan cooperation betweenconservationist Governor William G. Milliken and legislatorsresulted in much o the progress we see today in cleaner lakesand air, and healthier sh and wildlie populations. State lawsand policies like the Michigan Environmental Protection Actand bottle deposit law put Michigan on the national map andinspired other states and communities nationwide to ollow our lead. In 2009, Michigan needs to re-establish itsel as anenvironmental champion, creating thousands o much needed jobs in the energy, water conservation, and transit technologieso the uture, while simultaneously improving our quality o lie.Tis book was designed asa guide to Michigan’s mostpressing environmental andconservation issues, as well asthe actions needed to once againmake Michigan a national leaderin the eld o environmentalprotection.
 
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The Heart and Soul o Michigan
Michigan is many things, but to approximately 10 milliono us, it is home. It’s home not just because we live here. It’shome because we cherish the qualities and resources that deneMichigan – and we want to pass them on to our children andgrandchildren and others who will come ater us. Among those qualities and resourcesis a treasury o clean water, majesticorests, sh and wildlie, and parks andtrails. Nothing is more Michigan than a weekend on the lake up north, the long-standing tradition o the trout or deeropener, or a quick escape to a jogging orbiking trail that runs through a woodlotnear our backyard.Our natural resources not only giveus a place to live and eel at home, butalso nourish and sustain us in other ways: they provide jobs or thousands o us and generate mil-lions o dollars in income.In 2006 alone, licensed hunters contributed $915 millionto Michigan’s economy. Anglers contributed $1.67 billion, andsome 3.2 million wildlie enthusiasts contributed $1.6 billion.
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 Visitors to state parks and recreation areas generate $580 mil-lion annually, and Michigan’s almost one million registeredboaters spend $873 million on trips during our boating season.Te Michigan Department o Natural Resources managesthe largest dedicated state orest system in the nation. Teorest products and recreation industries generate $12 billionannually as well as 200,000 associated jobs.
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Our arming, mining, manuacturing, commercial ship-ping, tourism, and a multitude o other industries dependon the quantity and quality o our natural resources. Whenpollution or exploitation o those resources occurs, it degradesour home – and it costs us money. Unchecked sewage closesrecreational beaches. oxic pollution ouls our waterways,kills native sh, and can take decades and billion o dollarsto remove.In this time o severe economic hardship, we cannot aord tooverlook or neglect the assets that will provide the launching pador long-term Michigan economic growth. We ignore the quality and beauty o our air, land, and water at great risk to ourselves,to our amilies, and to those we seek to attract to our state.One o the resources critical toMichigan’s recovery is human capital.People and their vitality, creativity, andcommitment to hard work drive oureconomic engine. And our people can-not thrive without healthy, sae com-munities. Michiganders should not haveto live with the threats to health causedby unsae products, toxic waste sites thataren’t being cleaned up, lack o eectiveenvironmental law enorcement, andclusters o smokestacks and waste pipesnear their neighborhoods and schools.Low-income communities are oten disproportionately aected by pollution in the air and water. Sometimes called en-vironmental justice, the practice o protecting
all 
citizens romunsae pollution levels represents basic equality. It also repre-sents the historical roots o environmental policy. In the late1800s the rst environmental laws prevented death and diseaserom raw sewage dumped into drinking water supplies. In the1900s, early reorms curbed disease-causing air pollution andpesticides that sickened not only wildlie, but human beings.Moving orward, we must continue to assure the protection o our own health, and the health o all our ellow citizens, withstrong and air pollution laws and enorcement.Robust environmental and conservation policies protectthe basic pieces o the Michigan mosaic. Tey saeguard ourhomes, our communities, and our jobs. Tey preserve thelegacy o our incredible natural resources and wild places. Te
Environmental Brieng Book 
denes the actions the governorand Michigan legislature need to take to protect all o thesevalues – and Michigan’s uture.
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“In Michigan, our soul is not to be ound in steel and concrete, or sprawling new housingdevelopments or strip malls. Rather it is ound in the sot petals o a trillium, the gentle whisper o a headwater stream, the vista o a Great Lakes shoreline, and the wonder inchildren’s eyes upon seeing their rst bald eagle. It is that soul that we must preserve.”
—Former Michigan Governor William G. Milliken
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