One of the nation’s most heated congressional races made its way to campus Tuesday as state Sen. Dianne Byrum talked about the importance of keeping the Red Cedar River clean.
Byrum, seeking the 8th Congressional District seat, was joined by leaders of the eco-friendly Sierra Club who strongly supported the Onondaga Democrat.
“We strongly endorse Dianne,” said Dan Farough, voter education coordinator for the club. “She has done an excellent job in legislation and has been a champion to stop the drilling in the Great Lakes.”
Club members say a plan of state Sen. Mike Rogers calls for drilling in the Great Lakes. Rogers is Byrum’s opponent and a Brighton Republican.
A spokesman for the Senate majority floor leader said Rogers’ proposal wouldn’t be bad.
“People wouldn’t even see it, you literally don’t know it’s there,” said John Nevin, Rogers’ campaign manager. “We’re not drilling on the Great Lakes, rather in (them) from a slant way far inland.”
Nevin said the recent terrorist attack on the USS Cole might not have even happened if the United States was less dependent on overseas oil.
“Seventeen soldiers died in Yemen because were protecting Arabian oil,” Nevin said. “If we can do it here at Great Lakes or Alaska, we’ve got to do that.”
Byrum, who’s in her second term as a state senator, was first endorsed by the Sierra Club in August.
The club is famous for supporting Democrats.
Carl Pope, Sierra Club executive director, said water quality is crucial and he’s not sure many citizens would be happy about drinking bottled water if they knew oil was being drilled in the Great Lakes.
“People are buying more bottled water (than in the past) because they don’t trust tap water,” he said.
Pope then asked how many people would be interested in water from an oil field source.
“I’m sure there wouldn’t be any takers,” he said.
Byrum echoed Pope, but also said water quality is especially important in East Lansing.
“I understand how important clean water is, including for recreational purposes,” she said. “It is a real challenge for the Red Cedar contamination because when you look at it, it is beautiful.
“We are going to have to build a partnership with the government (to make a difference).”
The river has in recent months been flooded with high levels of E. coli bacteria. And the river is an issue many students are using to help them decide whom to vote for in Tuesday’s election.
“The environment is not the most important issue to me, but it is a major factor in who I vote for,” said Emily Stivers, an international relations and political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore.
Stivers supports the local Democrat.
And Byrum said voters like Stivers can be confident she is working to improve the environment.
Pope said the problems with Michigan rivers are ongoing.
“(One problem) is that many of the rivers didn’t look dirty and were missed,” he said.
