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Wednesday, November 18, 2020 — 5
Three U-M professors to aid Biden-Harris transition
Three
University
of
Michigan
professors
and
Obama administration alums
will help President-elect Joe
Biden transition to power in
Washington, D.C.
The
group
selected
to
evaluate
various
federal
agencies and get them in line
with the goals of the Biden
administration is a who’s-
who of academics and former
government
officials.
The
Biden-Harris transition team
announced the list on Tuesday.
Michael
Barr,
dean
of
the Ford School of Public
Policy, previously served in
the Department of Treasury
as
assistant
secretary
for
financial
institutions
when
President Barack Obama was
in office. Barr will serve as a
volunteer on the Department
of the Treasury committee of
the transition team.
In
a
Sunday
email
to
students, Barr congratulated
Biden and Vice President-
elect Kamala Harris on their
victory, calling it a historic
moment for the country.
“I also think it is fair to say,
that those who have worked
with
President-elect
Biden,
from
across
the
political
spectrum, whether or not they
agree with him on policy or
politics, view him as a person
of great personal integrity,
decency,
and
compassion,”
Barr wrote.
Barr helped craft the Dodd-
Frank Wall Street Reform
and
Consumer
Protection
Act of 2010, a massive piece
of
financial
reform
and
oversight legislation passed
in the aftermath of the 2008
financial crisis.
Before
his
Senate
confirmation, Barr was also
a member of the National
Economic
Council
in
the
White House. Before that, Barr
worked in former President
Bill Clinton’s administration.
Barr researches and writes
about
issues
in
domestic
and
international
financial
regulation.
He
is
also
a
professor at the Law School,
where
he
taught
financial
regulation and international
finance.
Betsey
Stevenson,
a
professor
of
public
policy
and
economics,
will
also
help review operations at the
Department of Treasury in a
volunteer capacity.
In a press release Tuesday,
the
Biden-Harris
campaign
emphasized the diversity of
the transition team, calling it
one of the most diverse agency
review teams in presidential
transition history.
“Of the hundreds of (agency
review team) members to be
announced, more than half
are women, and approximately
40
percent
represent
communities
historically
underrepresented
in
the
federal government, including
people of color, people who
identify
as
LGBTQ+,
and
people with disabilities,” the
release reads. “The President-
elect and Vice President-elect
are committed to building an
administration that looks like
America.”
In a 2018 panel at the Ford
School, Stevenson discussed
the need to diversify the field
of economics, stressing the
importance
of
increasing
the number of women in the
profession.
“We have a cultural shift
that needs to take place,”
Stevenson said. “And one of
the few ways to get cultures
to shift is to change the people
in the culture, so I do think
that improving the pipeline
and getting more women into
economics is an important
part of this.”
Stevenson previously served
as a member of the Council of
Economic Advisers from 2013
to 2015. She advised then-
President Obama on the labor
market, social policy and trade
issues.
From 2010 to 2011, she was
the chief economist of the U.S.
Department of Labor, where
she advised the Secretary of
Labor on labor policy.
Law
professor
Barb
McQuade will be a volunteer
on the Department of Justice
committee of the transition
team. From 2010 to 2017, she
was the U.S attorney for the
Eastern District of Michigan,
the first woman to serve in the
role.
McQuade
was
appointed
by
Obama
and
oversaw
cases involving fraud, public
corruption, terrorism and civil
rights, among other issues. She
resigned in March 2017 at the
request of President Donald
Trump.
McQuade
has
been
a
frequent critic of the Trump
administration, accusing the
current president of working
to undermine the rule of law.
In a statement to The Daily,
McQuade said she was excited
to aid in the transition process.
“I am honored to be part of
the Biden-Harris transition
team and eager to help ensure
a smooth transition at the
Department of Justice,” she
wrote.
The
Associated
Press
declared Biden the winner
of the presidential election
on Saturday morning, and
students took to State Street
to celebrate. President Trump
has refused to concede and his
campaign has filed lawsuits
challenging the validity of the
election in numerous states,
without citing evidence of
fraud or wrongdoing.
On
Monday,
the
Trump
administration
told
agency
officials
not
to
cooperate
with
the
Biden
transition
team, as the president has
yet to concede the election.
Various agency officials had
previously prepared briefings
and
reserved
office
space
for members of the Biden
transition team. Instead, they
are now being instructed to
wait until the General Services
Administration
officially
begins the transition to a
Biden administration.
Daily Staff Reporters Sarah
Payne and Emma Ruberg can
be reached at paynesm@umich.
edu and eruberg@umich.edu.
A controversial oil and gas
pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac
is losing its ability to operate on the
bottom of the lake, Michigan Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer announced
Friday.
Michigan’s
Department
of
Natural
Resources
will
terminate
a
1953
easement
agreement with Enbridge, the
company traditionally supplying
petroleum and natural gas to
Mackinac Island. Whitmer said
the company’s 67-year-old dual
pipelines presented “unreasonable
risk” to the state’s residents.
Enbridge has repeatedly been
criticized
by
environmental
activists, who call for an end to
the pipelines’ operation. These
activists fear the pipeline could
rupture, leading to a massive oil
spill in a waterway that connects
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
The
pipelines
are
subject
to
several
other
concerns,
including allegations Enbridge
has not complied with Michigan
regulations
and
a
lack
of
transparency during inspections.
Supporters of Line 5 see it as an
essential source of natural gas and
propane for people in the Upper
Peninsula and other parts of the
state.
According to a Friday press
release,
Whitmer
and
DNR
Director Dan Eichinger say the
action is a result of a violation of
the public trust doctrine, which
requires Michigan to protect and
preserve the shores of the Great
Lakes. The termination is based
on the company’s “persistent and
incurable violations” of the terms
and conditions of the agreement.
Whitmer said in a statement the
company was putting Michigan
residents and the Great Lakes at
risk.
“Here in Michigan, the Great
Lakes define our borders, but
they also define who we are as
people,” Whitmer said. “Enbridge
has routinely refused to take
action to protect our Great Lakes
and the millions of Americans
who depend on them for clean
drinking water and good jobs.
... Most importantly, Enbridge
has imposed on the people of
Michigan an unacceptable risk of
a catastrophic oil spill in the Great
Lakes that could devastate our
economy and way of life.”
Enbridge argues Line 5 is a
vital piece of infrastructure. In
a statement Friday, Enbridge
executive Vern Yu said there was
no credible basis for terminating
the easement.
“This notice and the report from
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources
are
a
distraction
from the fundamental facts,”
Yu said. “Line 5 remains safe, as
envisioned by the 1953 Easement,
and as recently validated by our
federal safety regulator.”
Yu added that the company is
confident that Line 5 is operating
safely.
“We will continue to focus
on the safe operation of the dual
Line 5 pipelines at the Straits of
Mackinac, ensuring the Great
Lakes are protected while also
reliably delivering the energy that
helps to fuel Michigan’s and the
region’s economy,” Yu said.
Michigan
Attorney
General
Dana Nessel filed a complaint in
the Ingham County Circuit Court
to validate the governor’s action.
Nessel also specified the pipeline
must be shut down within 180
days.
“I commend Gov. Whitmer
and
Director
Eichinger
for
their forceful actions today to
address the grave threat posed
by Enbridge’s unlawful operation
of its pipelines in the Straits of
Mackinac,” Nessel said in a Friday
statement. “With the steps they
took today, Gov. Whitmer and
Director Eichinger are making
another clear statement that Line
5 poses a great risk to our state,
and it must be removed from our
public waterways.”
The ongoing pandemic and
the switch from in-person to
online events have affected
religious
organizations
on
campus that previously relied
on face-to-face interaction to
build a sense of community.
Before
the
pandemic,
organizations like the Sikh
Students Association fostered
friendship
through
social
events like cider mill trips or
Kirtan nights, when members
would play traditional drums
and sing together, but COVID-
19 put a stop to these activities.
SSA’s
leadership
had
to
find ways to work around the
restrictions
that
prevented
large indoor gatherings.
LSA
junior
Ramneet
Chauhan,
co-president
of
SSA, said the organization is
conducting meetings over Zoom
and had a socially-distanced
field day at Palmer Field.
“We’ve seen a lot of first
years coming to our events,
even to the Palmer Field event,”
Chauhan said. “Everyone had a
lot of fun so I think the sense of
community is still there.”
Organizations
have
also
adapted
religious
holidays
and
festivals.
LSA
senior
Deepali Desai, Hindu Students
Council co-president, said her
organization had to cancel their
Holi event because of the initial
shut down in March.
The first day of Diwali, a
major Hindu festival, occurred
this past Saturday. In a COVID-
19-free year, Desai and her
fellow members would organize
a large Diwali party, including
a buffet with food from a local
Indian restaurant. This year,
they are focusing on a smaller
Zoom call for members only to
celebrate.
“On the day of Diwali we’re
just going to dress up and get
together on Zoom, and we’re
going to watch a movie or a
TV show or play some games,”
Desai said. “We just want to
celebrate
with
each
other,
which is something we really
haven’t been able to do over the
past few years, because we’d
usually be so busy with planning
the banquet and making sure
everything’s running smoothly
during that.”
Other holidays, like Rosh
Hashanah, also had to change.
But LSA junior Sarah Pomerantz,
the chair for the undergraduate
student governing board of
Hillel, said the organization
continues to try to create “a
holistic experience” for Jewish
students.
Hillel
organized
Shofar
blowing, a Jewish tradition of
blowing a horn to announce
the new year, in the Nichols
Arboretum. Every half hour,
a group of at most 25 people
would listen to the service
while social distancing, leaving
before the other group came.
Hillel is also hosting online
events like trivia nights and
learning
programs.
LSA
sophomore Nomi Rosen, an
executive board member of
I-LEAD, encouraged students
to take part in the virtual
events. I-LEAD is a student
organization
that
facilitates
conversations
about
issues
related to the State of Israel.
“I think it actually makes
it a lot easier for students to
participate because it’s easier
to do through the platform of
Zoom and technology,” Rosen
said.
Campus religious groups adapt
activities due to ongoing pandemic
COVID-19 health guidelines limit practices for many faith-based student
organizations as they seek to build community through virtual interactions
ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON GROSVENOR
Whitmer stops
oil, gas pipeline
in Great Lakes
Enbridge must halt Line 5 operations by
May 2021 due to environmental concerns
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
Michael Barr, Betsey Stevenson, Barb McQuade will volunteer in Department of Treasury, Justice committees
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Students study in the Law Library before the COVID-19 pandemic.
EMMA RUBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
EMMA RUBERG &
SARAH PAYNE
Daily Staff Reporters
SAFURA SYED
For The Daily
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com