Capital Area Friends of the Environment

03/13/2026

Michigan should place a moratorium on new data centers! We need to slow down and consider what we are doing with our land, our energy, and our water. Sign onto the push for such a moratorium from Michigan Climate Action Network here:

02/13/2026

This Sunday at 2 pm! Peoples Church! Join us!

01/20/2026

Please join CAFE this Friday Jan 23 at Think Space in Lansing MI for a community briefing on Erickson coal ash contamination.

Event: Erickson’s Toxic Coal Ash Threatens Health: Community Briefing Time: 11:00–11:30 AM
Location: Think Space, Lansing, MI
Organized By Kiara Rutherford, Climate Action Campaign

Background:

Formerly a coal-powered plant, Erickson Power Station, relied on coal ash ponds to manage combustion residuals. While the plant retired in 2022, its coal ash impoundments remain a concern. Monitoring has shown groundwater contamination from heavy metals and other pollutants, and full closure and remediation of the impoundments are not yet complete.


The 2024 EPA Legacy Coal Ash Rule expanded reporting and cleanup requirements for the Erickson Power Plant and coal plants across the country. Under the federal CCR Rules, coal ash sites like Erickson are required to safely close impoundments, monitor groundwater, cleanup contaminated groundwater, and report publicly. The Trump administration, however, has made it clear that it intends to weaken many of the essential federal safeguards intended to prevent and address coal ash pollution. On November 25, 2025 the Trump Administration announced a proposed rule to delay the compliance timeline for closing numerous unlined dumps - extended the deadline from October 17, 2028 to 2031. More proposals from EPA weakening the current protections are anticipated in the coming weeks.


Ensuring compliance and protecting federal investments in cleanup is critical to safeguard water quality, public health, and surrounding communities.

01/15/2026

Meeting tonight. Hope you can join!

This page descibes the Deep Green offereing to heat hosts and partners.

12/19/2025

Households across MISO (including us in the Lansing area) are on the hook for over $100 million and counting because of the Trump order to keep inefficient and expensive and unneeded and polluting JH Campbell Generation Facility (which burns coal) open. This is direct economic cost, not additional costs to health and environmental well-being.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/28/trump-michigan-power-plant

The mandate to keep this dinosaur going was recently renewed. Costs to all of us will continue to add up.

Critics say JH Campbell coal-fired plant in western Michigan is expensive and emits high levels of toxic pollution

11/13/2025

Microplastics Event Nov. 24 2025 at 7pm at the East Lansing Public Event https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScy8ANCnusOJNVabgtqkmElWL7GpNo3sv37avrcQrazNIxOEQ/viewform

11/05/2025

This is what solar does-- Australia now has free electricity for everyone for several hours each day. FREE!! Renewable energy for the win on affordability!

Australia's extensive solar power pe*******on makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.

11/05/2025

Planning Commission meeting tonight! Regarding a new local Data Center 6:30PM

https://lansingmi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7678/files/agenda/10897

Not many details have been released but 24 MW demand while our resident rates continue to increase, doesn't add up to a good deal. BWL needs to meet it's clean energy targets, not move the goal posts further down the road making the job at hand more difficult.

CivicClerk events and agendas for citizens

11/03/2025

Coal is simply too expensive (economically and environmentally) to keep using for electricity generation. This madness must stop! $80 Million?!?

Midwestern electricity ratepayers will pay the still-mounting tab under a plan Consumers Energy reported to regulators and investors.