Michigan
Legal Updates
August 3rd, 2011
The State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in Lansing denied OCT's petition for rule making. OCT is working with youth and our partners to take further action to achieve the necessary emission reductions in Michigan. Please check periodically for updates on our next steps, and if you would like to get involved with the effort or if you have any questions, please contact us.
May 4th, 2011
OCT filed a petition for rule making with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Air Quality Division.
Climate Change Impacts in Michigan
The following points are taken from the petition for rule-making filed in May. Click on each topic for more information.
In recent decades, a noticeable increase in air temperatures has been measured in the Midwest, with the largest increases observed during the winter, with an extended frost-free growing season of more than a week. Climate models project an increase in temperature of 5-15 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the winter and 5-20 degrees in the summer by the end of the current century. With predicted increases in temperatures, it is expected that the winter season will shorten by as much as 8-10 weeks annually.
In the last 30 years there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of heat waves, which have been more intense that any other events in the past century except for the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. It is expected that extreme heat events will become more common.
Heavy precipitation events have doubled in frequency in the last century in the Midwestern United States. In the last three decades, summer and winter precipitation levels have been above average; it has been the wettest period in the last century. Precipitation is expected to increase by about 5% in the winter, spring and fall months, and as much as 20-40% during the summer over the next century.
Increases in precipitation during the winter months are likely to fall as rain instead of snow due to the rise in temperatures. Spring and fall precipitation is also projected to increase and intensify, with the most intense rainfall events expected to occur between the months of December and April. Studies suggest that the frequency of heavy rainstorms may increase by 50-100% by the end of the current century.
During the summer, it is predicted that the number of hot days exceeding 90 degrees is projected to double or even triple, with some years at the end of the century experiencing as many as 30-50 days of extreme heat above 90 degrees.
2. Threats to Michigan Plants and Wildlife
3. Human Health
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Michigan Petition.pdf | 1.21 MB |
