MI-07 Race Backgrounder

Curtis Hertel Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

Former State Senator Curtis Hertel has been a climate champion for Michiganders. Hertel understands climate change’s impact on Michiganders and believes in taking immediate and long term action to address the crisis. He has recognized climate change’s immediate impact in stronger, more unpredictable weather events and called for support to families affected by storms. While serving in the state Senate, Hertel helped make Michigan a national leader in the transition to a clean energy economy, voting for legislation requiring utilities to achieve 100% clean energy portfolios and making it easier to site large solar and wind projects. He also believes the state should transition away from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy and supported passage of the clean energy plan, which has already spurred $3.6 billion in investment and helped create 4,175 new clean energy jobs in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. He’s taken on Big Oil in office, voting against a state Senate Resolution calling for an increase in oil and gas drilling and the repeal of policies that limit fossil fuel development. Hertel’s record has shown that he will protect Michiganders health and put people over polluters in Congress. 

In stark contrast, former State Senator Tom Barrett is running to represent Michigan’s 7th district for the second time in two years, having previously been rejected by the district’s voters. Barrett has not only failed to provide Michiganders with any plan to address the climate crisis or transition to a clean energy future, but has repeatedly criticized clean energy investments and voted five times against a bipartisan deal that supported 5,000 auto jobs in mid-Michigan. He voted against a moratorium on water shutoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic and for legislation that limited the Governor’s ability to send statewide emergency alerts during extreme weather and disasters. All the while, Barrett has been a loyalist to Big Oil interests in the state Senate, voting for a resolution calling for an increase in oil and gas drilling and the repeal of policies that limit fossil fuel development. He also sponsored a resolution urging Congress to permanently extend Trump’s $25 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil. Unsurprisingly, Barrett has taken nearly $45,000 from the oil and gas industry over his career and his campaigns have been financed by some of its largest dark money backers. 

Barrett is completely out of touch with Michiganders. 73% of Michiganders support increasing the share of electricity that is produced from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, while Barrett opposed the legislation that has led to the state’s clean energy boom. In Michigan, the impacts of climate change and continued reliance on fossil fuels will mean more extremely hot days, more frequent heavy rainstorms, and ice cover on the Great Lakes forming later or melting sooner. 

The state’s agriculture, its economy, and people’s health will all be hurt: 

• In the past decade, Michigan has experienced 31 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $104.9 billion in damages and killed 371 people. 
• Climate change has caused Michigan to see an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. Michigan is the 15th-fastest warming state in the nation. By 2045, most counties in lower Michigan will experience one to two more weeks of extreme heat each summer.
• In winter 2023-2024, Lansing, which is located in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, experienced an average temperature of 33.3 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the warmest winter on record. 
• The annual precipitation in Lansing is projected to increase from about 31.9 inches to 34 inches by 2050. 
• Intense precipitation in the spring and fall combined with drier conditions in the summer is negatively impacting farmers in the Greater Lansing area and across the state of Michigan. These impacts include increased floods, decreasing harvest sizes, heavy soil erosion, and soil depletion. 
• According to the American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air Report, the Lansing-East Lansing metropolitan area, which is located in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, ranked 94th for annual particle pollution.
• In June 2023, Lansing experienced “very unhealthy” air quality levels as a result of the Canadian wildfires which distributed high levels of fine particulate matter in the air.  

Advancing Climate Action

If You Say One Thing

While Hertel understands climate change’s impact on Michiganders and believes in taking immediate and long-term action to address the climate crisis, Barrett has not addressed the issue or provided a plan for Michiganders. 

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• Hertel understands climate change’s impact on Michiganders and believes in taking immediate and long-term action to address the climate crisis. 
• Barrett has not addressed the climate crisis or provided a plan to Michiganders on the issue. 

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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The clean energy plan has already spurred $3.6 billion in investment and helped create 4,175 new clean energy jobs in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Hertel supported passage of the bill and believes the state should transition away from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy, while Barrett has repeatedly criticized clean energy investments and voted five times against a bipartisan deal that supported 5,000 auto jobs in mid-Michigan. 

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• Hertel supported passage of the clean energy plan and touted the bill’s ability to create good-paying jobs. 
• Hertel applauded Michigan State University’s plans to stop burning coal and transition to 100% renewable energy and said the state should follow suit. 
• Hertel negotiated with GM to bring electric-vehicle and advanced battery manufacturing to the Lansing and Detroit regions.

• Hertel voted for legislation – which later became law – that requires utilities to achieve 100% clean energy portfolios by 2040 and 60% renewable energy by 2035. 
• Hertel voted for legislation – which later became law –  that made it easier to site large wind and solar energy projects in Michigan.
• Hertel voted for legislation – which later became law – that protects farmers’ rights to host solar projects on their land. 

• Barrett voted five times against a bipartisan deal that supported 5,000 auto jobs in mid-Michigan, including a brand-new GM Battery Factory in Lansing that would position Michigan to build the next generation of cars. 
• Barrett criticized Michigan’s $1 billion investment into electric vehicle and battery plant projects, saying it was a “massive failure” that hadn’t created enough jobs.
• Barrett claimed that electric vehicle plants would systematically replace and reduce the number of good-paying auto manufacturing jobs in Michigan and the U.S. 
• Barrett falsely claimed President Joe Biden was mandating electric vehicles, a claim that has been refuted by several fact-checks. 
• Barrett equated the Gotion EV Battery Plant – which would create 2,350 jobs and invest $2.3 billion in the Grand Rapids area – to “getting in bed with the Chinese Communists to lure them to rural Michigan.” 
• Barrett opposed the clean energy plan, calling it “phony” spending “masked by an Orwellian title.” 

Water Access & Pollution

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Hertel committed to protecting Michigan’s lakes and waterways and building on efforts to remove PFAS from Michigan’s water. He also voted for a statewide moratorium on water shutoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Barrett voted against it.

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• Hertel has committed to protecting Michigan’s lakes and waterways and building on efforts to remove PFAS from Michigan’s water. 
• In 2020, Hertel voted for a statewide moratorium on water shutoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Barrett voted against it.

Extreme Weather & Flooding

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While Hertel recognized climate change’s immediate impact on stronger, more unpredictable weather events and called for support for families affected by storms, Barrett voted for legislation that limited the Governor’s ability to send statewide emergency alerts during extreme weather and disasters. 

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• Hertel recognized climate change’s immediate impact on stronger, more unpredictable weather events and called for support for families affected by storm damage and rising insurance costs. 
• Barrett voted for legislation that limited the Governor’s ability to send statewide emergency alerts during extreme weather and disasters. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

If You Say One Thing

Barrett voted for a state Senate Resolution calling to increase oil and gas drilling and repeal policies that limit fossil fuel development, as well as a resolution urging Congress to permanently extend Trump’s Big Oil tax giveaway. Unsurprisingly, Barrett has taken nearly $45,000 from the oil and gas industry over his career and his campaigns have been financed by some of its largest dark money backers. 

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• In 2022, Hertel voted against a state Senate Resolution calling to increase oil and gas drilling and repeal policies that limit fossil fuel development; Barrett voted for it. 
• Barrett has taken nearly $45,000 from the oil and gas industry over his career. 
• In 2022, Barrett sponsored a resolution urging Congress to permanently extend Trump’s $25 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil. 
• The Koch brothers, who own Big Oil company Koch Industries and are among the largest funders of climate denial, have been one of Barrett’s largestdark money backers.