Saturday, June 18, 2016

The underwater pipeline that could break the Great Lakes

theweek : "According to the company's own reports, Enbridge has been responsible for more than 800 oil spills across North America since 2000.

That sticky trail of spews and spills leads us to the present, and to the latest of Enbridge's controversial pipelines. This one, known as Line 5, includes a pair of metal tubes that run through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, underwater across a wild, weather-beaten portion of the Great Lakes, and into the state's more populous lower region. A portion of the pipeline sits on the bottom of our country's most important fresh water resource, along a pristine and economically precious stretch called the Straits of Mackinac. It carries up to 20 million gallons of crude oil and gas every day."

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Motor City Freedom Riders, "Transportation is Freedom"

Must Support a Strong Regional Transit Plan: "With the exception of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), all of the region’s bus systems have drastically reduced service over the past decade – not for lack of need, but in consequence of limited available revenues (see above). We believe a regional transit plan should reserve half of all new regional transit revenues for the existing bus systems, including DDOT, SMART­­­­, and AAATA. As the RTA’s “State of the System” report indicates, not only is existing local bus service limited in its coverage area, but only a handful of bus routes – primarily those on major roads such as Woodward, Gratiot, and Grand River – provide the frequent service necessary for convenient transit access. We must not only enhance those routes, but expand crosstown service as well."