Our statement on Michigan’s ‘lame duck’ session

No-shows and personal grievance have let the Great Lakes State down

The Michigan Senate today adjourned for the final day of voting, following on the heels of yesterday’s Michigan House adjournment. In 2025, the legislating session will begin anew, with Republicans taking a two-year Democratic trifecta away via the House.

After a harrowing ‘lame duck’ legislative session, one filled with great environmental promise and sorrowful, sometimes self-interested results, the Michigan Environmental Council issued the following statement in response.

“So many strong, popular water protections were left dead in the water when the Michigan House gave up voting for the year. The most thoroughly negotiated statewide septic code: flushed. Frozen water protections: freezer burned. An affordable drinking water plan: swirled down the drain.

“Michigan had the solutions its waters and its people needed. Many legislative champions worked for two years to see them through with the support of environmental organizations and concerned citizens. We need those water protections now, as state political gridlock and federal environmental rollbacks loom large in 2025 and beyond.

“Instead, every single House Republican and Democratic Reps. Karen Whitsett and Peter Herzberg chose not to show up and serve the people, and House Speaker Joe Tate allowed it. They have squandered the moment for corporate influence and personal grievance. They have let their colleagues and the Great Lakes State down.

“And now the Michigan Senate has decided to follow suit, leaving environmental legislation to die on the floor. Bills to better prevent and treat lead poisoning; to expand state park funding and attendance; to support low-income residents with electric bike purchases—all gone.

“We need everyone else to come together, work and lead better to protect our air, water and beloved places. In the meantime, waste will keep leaking, chemical contaminants will fester and many Michiganders will struggle to afford water, a critical, basic resource flowing all around us. The Michigan Environmental Council and its 102 member organizations will continue to fight and demand better from our lawmakers.”