devos: toxic for michigan’s environment

The environmental news organization, Grist, has just posted an article online which you might find interesting. It’s on the subject of gubernatorial races where the environment hangs in the balance, and one of the four featured states is Michigan. (The others are Ohio, Colorado, Oregon and California.) Here’s a clip about our Republican candidate, Dick DeVos, who they’re suggesting we vote against:

…DeVos, an ultra-conservative, has already spent $21 million since February on his campaign, more than $16 million of which came from his own pocket. Despite his scant political experience, critics say DeVos’s anti-environment leanings are evident in the agendas of the right-wing organizations he has funded. Among them is the Acton Institute, a libertarian outfit (of which his wife is treasurer) that railed against the Kyoto Protocol, according to the “Detroit Metro Times”. He has also financed the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which supports drilling for oil under the Great Lakes and selling off state parks. According to Sierra Club’s Leigh Fifelski, DeVos also supports weakening environmental regulations on large-scale livestock and poultry operations. “This guy appears to be about as cozy with industry as it gets,” says Lisa Wozniak, executive director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Unfortunately, that wins you a lot of political support in [an industry-heavy] state like ours.”

More information from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters can be found here. And, if you’re interested in helping keep DeVos out of power, you can volunteer to help the Granholm campaign here.