ADRIAN, Mich.--- Following news of a disastrous oil spill in nearby Calhoun County, 16th District State Senate candidate Doug Spade today launched www.TheGreatLakesProposal.com ---an on-line petition drive designed to spur Michigan legislators into placing on the fall ballot a measure to constitutionally ban oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes and hold corporate polluters responsible for all cleanup costs and damages caused by their negligence.

 “Between the BP oil spill in the Gulf, the recent gas leak in Constantine, and now this disastrous oil spill near the Kalamazoo River, it’s clear that Michigan has to act now to protect our valuable natural resources from pollution and corporate carelessness,” Spade said. “We need the legislature to protect the Great Lakes and our natural resources by allowing the voters to permanently ban Great Lakes drilling in the November election. It’s time for bold action, and I am launching this petition drive to allow others to let their voices be heard in Lansing.”

Spade is gathering signatures in support of a plan by Senator Glenn Anderson to protect the Great Lakes and our natural resources by putting the following proposals on the November 2010 ballot to amend Michigan’s Constitution:

• Permanently ban all oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, both off-shore drilling and onshore “slant” drilling
• Guarantee that polluters pay for all cleanup and damage costs, rather than wasting taxpayers’ dollars
• Allow Michigan citizens to hold corporate polluters accountable for the damage they cause

“We need to stand up against these bad actors and make them pay to clean up their own messes instead of relying on the state or Michigan taxpayers to do it,” Spade added. “Voters deserve the right to make sure disasters like this never happen again, and our time to act is now.”

A pipeline that carries oil from Indiana to Ontario leaked Monday and spilled over 840,000 gallons of oil---about 100 tanker trucks full---into a creek near Marshall, Michigan, that leads to the Kalamazoo River. The spilled oil could be carried all the way to Lake Michigan, as recent storms have led to high water levels and fast-moving currents. This is just the latest incident to point out the need for a permanent ban on oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes and other protections to address oil spills and other environmental pollution that hurt our air, land and water, Spade said.