Somehow I spent Election Day reporting on snails. I don’t really understand how it happened either. While my colleagues were driving around Michigan covering events and reporting in from polling places and parties, speaking with Michiganders about this historic and dramatic Senate race, I was here in the office calling up scientists and gleefully shouting out snail facts.
Let’s talk about how some of the election results may impact environmental issues moving forward.
Data Centers
Data centers were certainly on the ballot this election. They were a prominent talking point in the tight race for the House in Michigan’s 7th District, which William Lawrence won.
Democrat Jocelyn Benson was elected governor of Michigan. Her campaign stated support for a temporary moratorium on data centers. Her website calls for "requiring developers to prove prior to construction that the data center will not abuse natural resources - from water to land.” This statement is vague, so it’s hard to say at this point what that would mean in practice.
Garlin Gilchrist won the election for Michigan Secretary of State. In a statement to Planet Detroit, he listed flooding, poor air quality and extreme heat as environmental priorities for the state. He also emphasized data center companies’ responsibility for water use and water quality impacts.
Science and the environment
Eli Savit won the Michigan Attorney General race. He told Michigan Public’s Caoilinn Goss that environmental protections were something he cared about protecting as part of our democracy. Attorney generals have a key role in defending science and the environment. Earlier this year, Attorney General Dana Nessel joined other states in signing a letter opposing legislation that would have made government science funding processes more partisan.
A millage (a.k.a. a tax) was approved to help support the Detroit Zoo and several Detroit museums, including the Belle Isle Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
Energy
In Ann Arbor, Proposal E, which would have started the process of changing the city’s electric infrastructure to establish a municipal utility, narrowly failed to pass.
Eli Savit’s win may also be important for Michigan’s energy future. Current Attorney General Nessel filed multiple requests challenging the J.H. Campbell power plant, for example.
State-level challenges of the Trump administration environmental and energy regulation will continue to be incredibly important to watch. And how each candidate rises to their campaign promises, especially how those promises relate to our clean air and water, is something I’m personally interested in following as well.
Let's end on snails
One of the scientists I spoke with on Tuesday said she was super happy to talk about anything but the election. So in case you’re also exhausted from this election news cycle, I’ll just end with some mind-blowing facts about the invasive New Zealand mudsnails:
- So far, all snails found in Michigan have been female.
- They can reproduce asexually, so just one female snail arrival in a new location could herald a new era of snail dominance.
- This snail’s shell has a little trapdoor that lets it duck inside and shut the door. Some of them have been found to survive inside a fish digestive tract using this! This means that they are incredible survivors and a terrible meal for fish.
Have more news for me? Have a hot tip? Send your ballot-based environmental concerns to furby@umich.edu.
‘Til next week,
Kate Furby, Senior Environment Reporter
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Today’s newsletter was written by Kate Furby, produced by Michelle Keller, and edited by Rebecca Williams.
