Valentine supports measures to hold corporate polluters accountable by making those polluters pick up the tab for cleanup and damages instead of Michigan taxpayers
 
NORTON SHORES, Mich.­­­­­­—Senate candidate Mary Valentine continued her efforts to protect Michigan’s natural resources today, calling for swift action to hold polluters responsible for all cleanup costs and damages after more than 840,000 gallons of oil have gushed into a waterway that feeds in to the Kalamazoo River and threatens to reach Lake Michigan. Valentine has supported similar measures as a state representative to permanently ban drilling in the Great Lakes for oil and putting the burden of cleanup on those responsible instead of taxpayers.
 
“I’ve fought for years as a state representative to protect our rivers, lakes and streams, and now we’re watching a disaster similar to the one in the Gulf Coast unfold in our backyards and endanger our shores. We need to take action to protect our waters, and we are now working against the clock,” Valentine said. “The corporate polluters responsible should be the ones to shoulder the cleanup costs, not our state’s taxpayers.”
 
A proposal-which Valentine supports- from Senator Glenn Anderson would place the following three proposals on the November 2010 ballot, so Michigan citizens can ensure the protections are permanently in the state Constitution.
 
Guarantee that polluters responsible for an oil spill or other environmental damages pay for all cleanup and damage costs, rather than wasting taxpayers’ dollars
Permanently ban all oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, both off-shore drilling and onshore “slant” drilling
Allow Michigan citizens to hold corporate polluters accountable for the damage they cause
 
Monday, about 840,000 gallons of oil leaked into a creek that leads to the Kalamazoo River after a pipeline that carries oil from Indiana to Ontario spilled. This incident—and the BP spill in the Gulf—highlight the urgent need to institute a permanent ban on oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes and other protections to address oil spills and other environmental pollution that jeopardize our natural resources.
 
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Mary Valentine answered questions from readers about her ideas for the future of Michigan.

NORTON SHORES–State Senate candidate Mary Valentine announced today that the Michigan League of Conservation Voters (MLCV) have endorsed her for the 34th District State Senate seat. The MLCV is a non-profit, non-partisan group dedicated to preserving and protecting Michigan’s natural beauty and holding lawmakers accountable for their actions. The Michigan League of Conservation Voters membership, and engagement in elections, is statewide throughout Michigan.

“The Great Lakes are one of our most valuable resources, and I will continue to work against greedy corporations who are more concerned with profits than the welfare and livelihood of our residents,” says Mary Valentine. “I’m honored to have received the Michigan League of Conservation Voters’ endorsement, and the 100 percent score they gave me on my record of voting to protect our air, our rivers, lakes, streams, and our beautiful beaches and forests. If elected Senator for the 34th District, I will continue to fight to protect our waters and land to not only keep those resources safe, but protect the Michigan residents who depend on them.”