REBEKAH WARREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
Positions:
Michigan House of Representatives:
● Chair, Great Lakes and Environment Committee, 2007-2010
● Ranking Member/Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, 2019-2020
Michigan Senate:
● Ranking Member/Vice Chair of the Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee, 2011-2018
Member, Great Lakes Commission, 2011-2019
Member, Council on Future Mobility
Member, National Conference of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), 2007-2021
Co-Chair, Michigan Legislative Recycling Caucus
Member, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Agriculture and Energy Committee
Legislative History:
Michigan House of Representatives, 53rd District
She was privileged to serve the citizens of Ann Arbor as State Representative for the 53rd House District for four years. During her first term in the House, she received statewide acclaim for her ability to reach across the aisle and negotiate the bipartisan passage of landmark water protection legislation, known as the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact, that effectively banned the diversion of Great Lakes water from outside the basin and has been called “the most important environmental law in forty years.”
While in the House, she was honored for her extensive record of achievement with the National Women’s Political Caucus of Michigan’s “Millie Award,” MichBio’s Legislator of the Year Award, the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Great Lakes 2008 Ally of the Year Award, Clean Water Action’s 2008 Lawmaker of the Year Award, SEIU Local 517m’s Co-Legislator of the Year Award, the 2008 Order of the Hexagenia Award from the Michigan Trout Association (making her the only legislator to receive the award as it is typically awarded to a resource professional who goes above and beyond to protect our resources. Additionally, she was only the second woman to ever be honored with this award), Michigan Non-Profit Association’s 2009 Non-Profit Champion, Michigan Soft Drink Association’s Legislative Leadership Award, Progress Michigan’s 2008 Progressive State Representative Cherry Award, The Humane Society of the United States Humane State Legislator Award, Michigan National Organization of Women 2009 Legislator of the Year Award, the Michigan United Conservation Club’s 2010 Legislative Conservationist of the Year, and the Wayne County Chapter of the National Organization of Women’s 2010 Susan B. Anthony Award.
Michigan State Senate, District 18
From 2010 through 2018, she represented the 18th District, which was made up of the majority of Washtenaw County, in the State Senate. In her final term, she was proud to be named the Michigan Information and Research Service (MIRS) “Most Liberal Senator,” while also having more of her bills signed into law than any other Democrat in the Legislature. She was also named the Most Liberal Senator by MIRS in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016, as well as by Inside Michigan Politics in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 (the first Senator to hold this title for so many consecutive years in the more than three decades that IMP has been tracking votes).
Other honors Senator Warren received include Habitat for Humanity of Michigan’s 2011 Public Official of the Year, the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association’s 2011 Elected Official of the Year Award, Trout Unlimited’s 2011 Partners in Conservation Award, the Michigan Department of Community Health’s 2012 Health Policy Champion, Police Officers Association of Michigan’s 2012 Legislator of the Year, the Michigan Pharmacists Association’s 2012 Legislator of the Year Award, the Michigan Nurses Association’s 2013 Friend of Nursing Award, and the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health’s 2014 Legislator of the Year Award, Michigan Association of Health Plans’ 2014 Legislator of the Year, the Michigan Association of Social Workers’ 2014 Legislator of the Year, the Michigan Association of Counties’ 2014 MAC Advocate Award, the Women Legislators’ Lobby’s 2015 Pacesetter, a 2016 National Foundation for Women Legislators Woman of Excellence, a 2018 honoree of the Michigan Music Therapists Association, a 2018 Michigan Nonprofit Champion by the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Council of Michigan Foundations, MICHauto’s 2019 Legislator of the Year, and Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance 2019 Legislator of the Year.
Legislative Priorities:
Environment
● Protecting our Great Lakes and supporting comprehensive water-use laws
● Ending oil shipment through the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline
● Addressing the threat of PFAS contamination, as well as the 1,4 dioxane plume and other threats to Michigan’s drinking water
● Encouraging “smart growth” to preserve our farmland and greenspace
● Advocating for energy conversation through efficiency standards and incentives
● Promoting the development of renewable energy resources; supporting the adoption of a more aggressive Renewable Energy Standard
● Supporting legislation that reduces out-of-state trash and incentivizes recycling
● Protecting our Great Lakes and supporting comprehensive water-use laws
● Eliminating invasive and harmful species
● Capitalizing on programs and policies that protect our environment while also making Michigan a leader in the new green economy
● Ending the use of “coal tar” sealants
House Accomplishments (2007-2010)
Environment and Energy
House Bill 4343 (2007) House Bill 5065-5067, 5069, 5073 (2007)—adopted the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and created the award-winning water withdrawal assessment tool.
House Bill 4711-4712 (2007)—extended and expanded the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act.
House Bill 4721 (2007)—amended the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to extend the $750 fee, for a baseline environmental assessment (BEA) for an additional 10 years. As amended, the bill would extend the fee until June 5, 2017.
House Bill 6714 (2008)—required electronic devices collected in take back programs to be recycled in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, including DEQ rules.
House Bill 4515 (2009)—increased the number and dollar amount of tax credits available for the development and application of advanced battery technology.
House Bill 4523 (2009)—extended the deadline for awarding existing Michigan Business Tax credits for solar energy development and manufacture and increased the monetary cap on the credits.
House Bill 4579 (2009)—amended Part 413 (Transgenic and Nonnative Species) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to authorize the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), after consulting with the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), by order to add to or delete from the list of prohibited or restricted species any species other than an insect or plant, authorize the Agriculture Commission, after consulting with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), by order to add to or delete from the list of prohibited or restricted species any insect or plant species, Require the DNR or MDA, at least 30 days before a proposed order was issued, to post the order on the Department's website and submit a copy of it to the Legislature, Prescribe criteria for listing an organism as a prohibited or restricted species, Require the DNR or MDA, as applicable, in determining whether to grant or deny a permit application for introduction of a genetically engineered organism, to consider whether any application for a Federal permit or approval for the organism had been granted or denied, Extend criminal penalties to the illegal possession or introduction of a prohibited or restricted species with intent to harm human health.
House Bill 5368 (2009)—enacted regulations on fertilizer use including placing a ban on fertilizer containing phosphate.
House Bill 5375 (2009)—created the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Revolving Loan Fund to operate a program to provide loans, grants, and other forms of assistance to public or private entities for efficiency and renewable energy projects.
House Bill 5640 (2009)—created the "Property Assessed Clean Energy Act" to allow a local unit of government to establish a PACE program, under which the local unit may enter into a contract with a commercial or industrial property owner to finance energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy systems.
Senate Accomplishments (2011-2018)
Environment
| Bill Number | Year | Bill Content |
| Senate Bills 508-510 | 2011 | Created the Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Council. |
| Senate Bill 1264 | 2012 | Part of a larger package to revitalize the Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps, this bill amended the Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps Act to establish corpsmember eligibility criteria, limited corpsmember employment to two years and required the Corps to contact colleges and universities with relevant curricula, and collaborate with businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other interested parties to develop a funding source. |
| Senate Resolution 42 | 2015 | A resolution to urge the Congress of the United States to restore funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which provides essential funds to protect the Great Lakes, to $300 million for fiscal year 2016. |
| Senate Resolution 107 | 2016 | A resolution to urge the Governor to reject the request by the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, to divert water from the Great Lakes. |
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and I'm David Fair. And today is the last time I will serve as host of Issues of the Environment. This is a conversation series I launched 31 years ago, and after three decades, I'm sure you understand just how important and close to my heart this is. That's why it was so vitally important to me we find someone who is well-versed environmental issues. It was also important to me the next host be familiar with WEMU and, most importantly, familiar with you, someone who understands and is engaged in our diverse community. I have to say I think we've outdone ourselves. And today, I want to spend a little time talking with your next host of Issues of the Environment. Rebekah Warren is a name most of you are already familiar with. She was elected out of Ann Arbor repeatedly and served a total of 14 years in the state Legislature. After term limits ended her time in Lansing, Rebekah founded and serves as President and CEO of Adaptive Strategics, which includes work on environmental issues. Now, she's going to steward the conversations about our environment right here in Washtenaw County. And I, for one, couldn't be happier about it! Thanks for being here today! And thanks for deciding to step in and take over this important community conversation series.
Rebekah Warren: Well, thank you, David! It is a tremendous honor to be here. And let me just say, you have created something very rare here. For more than 30 years, you've built a trusted space where local listeners could engage with environmental issues thoroughly and without a lot of noise or sensationalism. And I know that that is harder than it sounds. And trust is earned over time, and this program has earned the trust of the community, so it means a lot to me that you and the WEMU team have entrusted me with carrying this program forward.
David Fair: I am looking forward to what lay ahead. You know, you and I have had so many conversations over the years. I've always appreciated your accessibility, your knowledge and understanding of the issues at hand and the effective manner in which you communicate. Are you looking forward, though, to being on the other side of the interview microphone and asking questions instead of answering them?
Rebekah Warren: Well, absolutely, David! And one of the things that I have learned from being on this program and listening to this program is I admire your curiosity. I think it's a trait that we share in common. I have appreciated your approach to treating these interviews as not as debates to be won, but as information gathering operations and opportunities to learn. And as a legislator. I found that some of the most important things I learned came from asking questions rather than giving answers.
David Fair: Makes perfect sense.
Rebekah Warren: So, I think that's a lesson that translates directly to this role, and the best conversations happen when you're genuinely interested in understanding an issue and helping others understand an issue alongside you.
David Fair: Well, because of your background, you bring new perspective and understanding of legislative process to this conversation series. Is it a shift though to move from a position of issue advocacy to objective issue exploration?
Rebekah Warren: I think they go hand-in-hand. One of the things that I've learned is that environmental issues are rarely just environmental issues, but they're also public health issues, they're economic issues, community issues, quality-of-life issues. And I think my experience in the state Legislature and on environmental boards and commissions and in nonprofit leadership has given me the chance to see how these decisions get made and how those decisions affect us right here in our communities. So, whether we're talking about protecting the Great Lakes or cleaning up contaminated sites, renewable energy, recycling, land use policy, clean air, clean water, the challenge was always for me helping people understand how decisions made in one place affect our lives someplace else. In many ways, I truly believe good environmental journalism does that too.
David Fair: We were putting together a list of folks we thought might be able to fill in this as host of Issues of the Environment after my departure, and you were right at the top from the beginning. And we were exploring, well, what are the qualifications for such a position? So, we started looking into your background, and here's what we found--it's quite impressive! As a member of the state House of Representatives, you were Chair of the Great Lakes and Environment Committee and ranking member and Vice Chair of Ways and Means Committee. You were instrumental in creating the bipartisanship necessary to get the vitally important Great Lakes Compact passed, and that, of course, bans the diversion of Great Lakes water from outside the basin. As a member of the Michigan Senate, you were ranking member and Vice Chair of the Natural Resources, Environment, and Great Lakes Committee, a member the Great Lakes Commission, the Council on Future Mobility, the National Conference of Environmental Legislators, National of State Legislature's Agricultural and Energy Committee, and Co-Chair of the Michigan Legislative Recycling Caucus. That's an environmental background, isn't it?
Rebekah Warren: I like to think so. It's 30 years of my work.
David Fair: And I want to point out that you were honored and awarded many times for your service in these arenas. This is 89.1 WEMU, and I'm David Fair hosting Issues of the Environment a final time today, joined by the person taking my place, and that is Rebekah Warren. She is President and CEO of Adaptive Strategic and served 14 years in the state Legislature. Rebekah's going to serve not only as host of Issues of the Environment, but as co-host of WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment with Lisa Wozniak. Have you put some thought into some of the environmental issues pertinent to Washtenaw County that, in the coming weeks and months, you might like to explore on Issues of the Environment?
Rebekah Warren: Oh, absolutely! I've been very excited about the idea of digging into not only the most pertinent issues to us locally, but how to bring them to the listeners and to make this transition from policymaker to journalist. And where I think there's this strong connection is the best policymaking requires listening, asking questions, weighing evidence, and understanding different perspectives before coming to conclusions. I think that the best public radio journalism operates from those exact same values. So, what I hope to bring is an ability to help connect the dots with what's happening right here in our community and the larger environmental systems and decisions shaping our future. And I hope you'll see that in the coming weeks and months ahead.
David Fair: What we're talking about is community, not only conversation, but engagement. And I think we are headed in most certainly the right direction. Rebekah, as I mentioned, is also going to join President and CEO of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Lisa Wozniak, as co-hosts of WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment. I personally think this makes for a spectacular partnership! What are you looking forward to in working with Lisa?
Rebekah Warren: Well, I've known Lisa for a number of years now, about 25, I think, years. And we have worked together on a lot of diverse, important environmental and natural resource protection policies. But this would be the very first time that she and I have had a chance to work one-on-one on a project. So, I'm looking forward to that ability to really dig in with her directly on some of the most pertinent issues to our environment and our community.
David Fair: And I'm still on the inside, so I know you two have been having conversations about what is coming up for the first show and beyond.
Rebekah Warren: You should definitely look forward to it! And as I said, one of the homeworks of my policymaking was to get to know an issue deeply and ask a lot of questions and weigh evidence before coming to any conclusion. So, I've had a lot of conversations with a lot of folks, and my context list is--
David Fair: Vast!
Rebekah Warren: It is vast!
David Fair: I am looking forward to that!
Rebekah Warren: Vast! And as I've started to let some of my colleagues and friends and advocates in the environmental community know that I was taking on this new mantle, it's been amazing to see how many of them have said, "I'm ready!" And of course, some of our local voices that we trust and love are going to be back as well.
David Fair: What are you hoping to take away from the experience personally and professionally?
Rebekah Warren: You know, I've put a lot of thought into this, David, and kind of, for myself, like, "What is the ethos that I want of this show under my leadership?" And I really think I've come up with three things that feel vitally important. I hope that, in every episode, I'm able to bring something that we didn't know before this episode--some new fact, some new dimension.
David Fair: A new way to think about things.
Rebekah Warren: A new way to think about things. And second, I really want to take the local focus of this show and retain that important foundation, but also to connect the micro to the macro, to make sure that we're connecting the dots about how a local issue connects to a larger story, to our larger environment. And third, I really want to highlight either a practical action that we all can take as a result of our new knowledge or a resource that we can explore if we want to learn more following up on a new topic or a new perspective on a topic that we know well, because understanding an issue is important, but understanding what we can do about, it in my mind, is equally important. And to me, environmental stewardship isn't something that happens just in government offices or research labs. It's something that communities and individuals can and do participate in every day. And I'd like to be part of helping folks find that actionable way to be involved.
David Fair: Well, all of this perspective and all of that passion comes your way beginning next week. Rebekah, I can't wait to hear your first at all of your conversations on WEMU! And thank you so much for being my final guest on Issues of the Environment! I appreciate it!
Rebekah Warren: Thank you very much, David!
David Fair: That is Rebekah Warren, President and CEO of Adaptive Strategics, a 14-year veteran of the state Legislature as a Representative and Senator from Ann Arbor, and now your host of WEMU's Issues of the Environment and co-host of First Friday Focus on the Environment. She's the right choice, and as I've said, the best choice and my choice. With that said, I want to take a moment to thank all of you for more than 30 years of support for these environmental conversations. It's been an honor, and it's been a privilege! I'll be listening next Wednesday for Rebecca's first Issues of the Environment segment and on Friday, July 3rd for First Friday Focus on the Environment. I'm excited, and I hope you are too! New voices, new perspectives, deeper understandings and new connections when it comes to our environment. Don't miss it! For a final time and with eternal gratitude, this is Issues Of The Environment on your NPR station, 89.1 WEMU Ypsilanti, and I'm David Fair.
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