Category Archives: CACC News

Annual General Membership Meeting to Feature David Dempsey

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Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination’s 40th birthday will be celebrated June 9th at the Pere Marquette District Library, Clare, Michigan, during the annual General Membership meeting. This event is open to the public and will not only include the business meeting, but also address issues involving CACC and many other organizations active in the Great Lakes watershed. It offers members the opportunity to steer the course of the group by offering resolutions from the floor, electing members of the Board of Directors, and express their opinions.

The 2018 GMM will feature David Dempsey as the keynoter. Dave has a long career in Michigan environmental policy and nonprofit organizations, starting in 1982. His policy work includes Michigan’s first Great Lakes water diversion ban, toxic cleanup, promotion of recycling programs, groundwater protection, sand dune conservation, and protection of Michigan’s Natural Resources Trust Fund.  He has served as environmental advisor to the Blanchard administration, executive director of the Michigan Environmental Council, Presidential appointee to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Communications Director for Conservation Minnesota, policy director for the International Joint Commission, and been active in numerous other environmental and conservation organizations in the region.

Dave is also a published author including Ruin and Recovery: Michigan’s Rise as a Conservation Leader; On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century; William G Milliken: Michigan’s Passionate Moderate; Great Lakes for Sale: From Whitecaps to Bottlecaps; Last Summer on Lake Huron; The Waters of Michigan, co-authored with David Lubbers; Ink Trails: Michigan’s Famous and Forgotten Authors, and Ink Trails II, co-authored with Jack Dempsey; and The Great Lake Sturgeon, co-edited with Nancy Auer. In 2009, the Michigan Center for the Book, the Michigan Library Association, and Sleeping Bear Press gave Dave the Michigan Author Award.

Dave is currently a senior advisor to FLOW (For Love of Water), a Traverse City-based water law and policy center dedicated to upholding the public’s rights to use and benefit from the Great Lakes.

Washington State is restricting firefighting foam – where is Michigan on this?

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This is a follow up from our most recent newsletter.

Washington State is restricting firefighting foam – where is Michigan on this?

Contact: 
Ivy Sager- Rosenthal, ivy@toxicfreefuture.org, 206-854-7623
Governor Inslee to Sign First-in-Nation Legislation to Protect Drinking Water and Firefighters from Toxic Perfluorinated Chemicals
 
New Law Restricts Use of Firefighting Foam Containing Cancer-Causing PFAS Chemicals 
(Olympia, WA) – Washington state Governor Jay Inslee will sign legislation to restrict the use of firefighting foams containing toxic perfluorinated chemicals Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 2PM in the Governor’s Conference Room at the Legislative Building in Olympia.
Washington is the first state to place restrictions on firefighting foam containing the highly persistent class of chemicals called “PFASs”. PFAS-containing firefighting foam has contaminated drinking water across the country, including in Washington state in Coupeville, Issaquah, and Airway Heights. Firefighters are exposed to the chemicals when they use the foam or wear gear that contains the chemicals.
The legislation, SB 6413, was sponsored by Senator Kevin Van De Wege (D-Sequim). Rep. Strom Peterson (D-Edmonds) sponsored a companion bill in the House.
Specifically, the new law:
  • Prohibits the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams for training purposes beginning on July 1, 2018.
  • Prohibits the sale of PFAS-containing firefighting foams for use in Washington state beginning on July 1, 2020, unless the use for which it is intended is required by federal law such as at airports, or the foam will be used by an oil refinery, oil terminal, or chemical plant for firefighting at those facilities.
  • Requires that any manufacturer of PFAS-firefighting foam recall their product and reimburse retailers or other purchases once the ban on sale is in effect.
  • Requires anyone selling firefighting gear containing PFAS chemicals to notify the buyer.
  • Allows the Department of Ecology to request a certificate of compliance from manufacturers of PFAS-containing firefighting foam or firefighting gear.
PFASs are industrial chemicals used in some firefighting foams and firefighting gear, as well as in nonstick coatings on food packaging and in stain-resistant and waterproof coatings on carpeting, furniture, and clothing. Linked to cancer, liver toxicity, and other health effects, the chemicals are extremely persistent and can stay in the human body for as long as 8 years.
Last week, Governor Inslee signed the first ever legislation banning the use of the chemicals in paper food packaging. More information on the ban on food packaging is available at https://toxicfreefuture.org/governor-inslee-signs-ban-nonstick-chemicals-food-packaging/
For more information contact: Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, ivy@toxicfreefuture.org or 206-854-7623.
Release Date: 
March 26, 2018