Wolpe served in the U.S. Congress for seven terms, and in 1994 was the Democratic nominee for governor. Wolpe selected Debbie Stabenow as his running mate, after narrowly defeating her in a contentious primary battle. The Wolpe-Stabenow ticket lost that November to the Republican ticket of John Engler and Connie Binsfield.

Wikipedia reports that for 10 of his 14 years in Congress, Wolpe was an expert and leader on African issues and affairs:

A specialist in African politics for ten of his fourteen years in the Congress, Wolpe chaired the Subcommittee on Africa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. As Africa Subcommittee Chair, Wolpe authored and managed legislation imposing sanctions against South Africa, and over-riding President Ronald Reagan’s veto of the sanctions legislation (the Comprehensive Anti-apartheid Act of 1986). He also authored and managed the passage of the African Famine Recovery and Development Act, — a comprehensive rewrite in the 1980s of America’s approach to development assistance in Africa, that included the creation of the African Development Fund.

Former colleagues are remembering Wolpe, too.

From the Detroit News:

“Howard approached his work in Congress with intelligence, intensity, honesty and a complete devotion to improving the lives of working families and individuals around the globe,” said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, who served with Wolpe in Congress.

Also from the Detroit News:

“After he was done with politics, he continued to do great work in his area of passion, which was Africa,” said Brewer, who worked for Wolpe when he ran for Governor in 1994. “He’ll really be missed.”

And Rep. John Dingell also posted a statement on his website:

“Today our country lost a true patriot, a devoted teacher, and a wonderful statesman. He was a dear friend of mine who shared my love and care for the great state of Michigan. His impact on public policy in Michigan, our country, and across the world was a positive one. Howard contributed most of his life to bringing civility to government relations and making this world a better place, a passion I was able to witness during Howard’s 14 years here in the House of Representatives. He served Michigan ably and honorably and went on to serve as the Presidential Special Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes Region, where he initiated peace talks and helped end civil wars in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Debbie and I send our deepest condolences to his wife Julie Fletcher and his son Michael. Howard will be missed tremendously.”

The cuts would come in the Farm Bill, which expires next year. The committee members hope the voluntary reductions, which they propose to put together in detail by Nov. 1, will inoculate agriculture from further cuts from the congressional super committee.

The letter is signed by Agricultural Committee Senate Chair Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), House Chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), ranking member Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and ranking member Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan).

“We are currently finalizing the policies that would achieve $23 billion in deficit reduction and will provide a complete legislative package by November 1, 2011. Deficit savings at this level is more than any sequestration process would achieve and should absolve the programs in our jurisdiction from any further reductions.”

Mary Kay Thatcher, director of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation told American Agriculturalist that nutrition and crop insurance programs will probably be mostly safe.

“There aren’t really specifics as far as how much cuts are coming to commodities versus conservation versus nutrition,” Thatcher said. “Certainly the word on the street has been fairly significant that the committees are recommending elimination of direct payments and moving toward more of a revenue loss program but nothing in writing that spells out those kinds of details.”

Some House Republicans have proposed higher cuts of up to $50 billion, according to Agriculture.com. Earlier in the month, two congressional Republicans proposed to cut $40 billion from agriculture, including steep cuts to farm subsidies, conservation and nutrition.

Speaking to reporters at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, Durant referred to the Holland Republican as a “partner” of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the two-term Democratic incumbent they hope to face in 2012…

“I think they have more similarities than people are aware of,” Durant said.

Hoekstra lost the right to call himself a conservative when he voted in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and voted several times to raise the national debt ceiling, Durant told an impromptu press conference on the porch the Grand Hotel.

A poll last week found that Hoekstra had 51 percent support for his candidacy among Republicans, with Durant a distant second at three percent.

“P.S. Michele Bachmann has endorsed my campaign for U.S. Senate in Michigan against Debbie Stabenow. We need your help to take this seat back and restore fiscal sanity in Washington! Harry Reid is pulling out all the stops and holding a fundraiser for Senator Stabenow next week in Las Vegas. Please help us fight back against the special interests who are allowed to contribute as much as $10,000 each to her campaign. Will you donate today?”

In the letter, Hoekstra also quotes Bachmann praising the former congressman.

“Pete’s a great friend with a real vision for helping Michigan to lead the fight against the Obama / Stabenow agenda. Replacing Barack Obama with a Constitutional Conservative is vital, but we also need an overhaul in the U.S. Senate. Pete Hoekstra is a real conservative. He joined me in starting the House Tea Party Caucus, and we need him as Michigan’s next Senator. This is your opportunity to send a strong message to Washington by electing a Senator who will work to restore the freedom that will put Michigan back to work with a pro-growth economy.” Michele Bachmann

Stabenow’s campaign wasted no time in capitalizing on Bachmann’s endorsement of Hoekstra. Annette Rodgers, finance director for Stabenow for Senate campaign sent a fundraising appeal Friday morning, which read in part:

Michele Bachmann wants to be the President, and she wants people like Pete Hoekstra at her side in the Senate. Today, she endorsed him in his campaign to defeat Debbie Stabenow.

In case you missed it, here’s Michele Bachmann’s “jobs package”:

“if we took away the minimum wage — if conceivably it was gone — we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.”

At whatever level!

If you think that sounds like a good plan for Michigan’s economy… well, now you know who Michele Bachmann thinks you should vote for.

But if you think that sounds like a disaster for Michigan families, you should think about helping Debbie’s campaign.

Hoekstra is facing Randy Hekman, Gary Glenn, Peter Konetchy and Clark Durant in the primary election.

MLive.com reports the announcement came in Southfield:

“We need the best, and that’s why I’m proud to be here today to endorse Pete Hoekstra,” Snyder said this morning at a press conference in Southfield. “It’s a great opportunity because he’s a person — through the campaign process — I gained a lot of respect for in recognition that he is the right person for this position.”

Hoekstra is a former U.S. Congressman who left Congress to run for governor last year. Snyder bested Hoekstra, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.

During the his campaign to be governor, Hoekstra brought a wide range of extreme right wing political activists to the state to stump for him. He also admitted to participating in activities with the shadowy The Family group.

The GOP primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) is a field of five candidates. The candidates include Detroit charter school executive Clark Durant, former Kent County Probate Judge Randy Hekman, Roscommon businessman Peter Konetchy and Midland resident Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan.

State Democrats were quick to respond to the endorsement Monday morning:

“It is going to take a lot more than an endorsement from one of the most unpopular Governor’s in the country to make the people in Michigan support a Congressman-turned lobbyist like Pete Hoekstra. Even conservatives are troubled by Hoekstra’s support of bailout money paying for the bonuses of Wall Street CEOs and his long track record of backing tax giveaways for special interests like oil companies. Does the Governor seriously think a lobbyist is the best person to fight for the people of Michigan in Washington?”

In a statement released by Hoekstra, he said the decision was “extremely difficult” and that ultimately the decision was made not to seek the office because it was not in his family’s interest to do so. While he won’t be running, he did lay out a clear message to GOP faithful about the importance of the 2012 Senate election:

We share the beliefs of many people across Michigan that we need new conservative representation in the U.S. Senate. With the continued economic uncertainty, frustrating high unemployment, and staggering deficits resulting from the economic policies of President Obama and Senator Stabenow, America needs a new direction. Additionally, the President’s and Senator’s incoherent foreign policy throughout the Middle East and in the War on Terror continues to put our nation at great risk.

It is time for change. We are excited by the agenda of fiscal restraint and economic freedom that is gaining a foothold in Washington and recognize that it needs to be broadened and extended in 2012. Electing a new senator from Michigan is a key component of that agenda. While we have decided as a family to not enter this race, we are confident that the Republican candidate for Senate can win in November 2012.

He says he will remain “integral” in the process of challenging Stabenow.

Hoekstra retired from Congress last year in order to seek the GOP nomination for governor. He lost that primary. Hoekstra was the ranking member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence and came under fire for a series of gaffes, including tweeting his location during Congressional trip to Iraq and using an attempted terrorist bombing over Detroit as a fundraising gimmick. His relationship with the shadowy group “The Family,” also became an issue during the gubernatorial race.

Former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land is considering a run against Stabenow, while Randy Heckman, a former judge and founder of the conservative Michigan Family Forum, has announced he will seek the nomination to challenge Stabenow.

Reuters reports:

Republicans, who were able to block a climate and energy bill last year, hoped to pick up support from Democrats in energy-dependent states facing tight elections next year on the measure sponsored by Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
But it got only 50 votes in the Democratic-led 100-member chamber, short of the 60 votes needed to pass.

The Senate also rejected three EPA-limiting amendments offered by Democrats, the Washington Post reports.

One, sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would have provided exemptions for agriculture and smaller greenhouse gas emitters from the EPA’s permitting process; another, sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), would delay EPA rules for two years; and a third, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), would have delayed the rules for two years, exempted agriculture and provided a tax credit to clean energy technology manufacturers.

Sen. Stabenow voted in favor of her own amendment and Carl Levin (D-MI) voted in favor of the Baucus amendment.

Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Director Anne Woiwode called the defeat of the four bills a “short-term victory for Americans who want clean air and safe drinking water” and called on Michigan’s senators to explain their support for measures that would benefit polluters.

Republicans have offered numerous amendments aimed at forcing Democrats to vote on EPA powers.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) offered an amendment that would prohibit EPA from taking any action to address climate change.

Stabenow’s amendment would give coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and other industrial sources a two year exemption from new EPA rules that require them to report their greenhouse gas emissions.

Stabenow spokespeople were not available to speak about the amendment.

The Hill reports that a League of Conservation Voters poll of voters in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania this week shows most people support letting EPA regulate carbon pollution.

“Three in five (63%) voters in the three Midwestern states say they trust the EPA more than Congress to decide whether there should be new standards for carbon pollution,” states a summary of the poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates.

At this point in the 2010 election cycle, longtime Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold (D) seemed like a lock for re-election, but today a Republican political novice holds his seat. In neighboring Michigan, Republicans are hoping for a similar victory over two-term Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) in 2012…

Bill Ballenger, editor of the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, said Feingold’s fate should be a warning to Stabenow.

“If Russ Feingold proved to be vulnerable in Wisconsin” and ultimately lost when nobody would have thought such a thing were possible, “certainly Stabenow fits the same profile,” he said Tuesday.

The potential challengers are lining up, including former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, former Sec. of State Terri Lynn Land, former Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis and two businessmen, Tim Leuliette and Al Pease. Rep. Candice Miller is also a possibility.

The move required special arrangements with Canadian regulators because the generators are so large that no International Atomic Energy Agency approved container can hold them and because the amount of radiation they contain exceeds the limits for shipments under international law.

Because the shipment would pass through U.S. territories in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway en route to Sweden, U.S. approval is necessary.

The agency responsible for oversight of nuclear shipments in the U.S. is DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, an agency that has come under criticism recently for its failure to prevent oil and gas pipeline ruptures.

In the final days of his tenure as a U.S. Senator, Democrat Russ Feingold of Wisconsin spearheaded an effort to ensure that the agency doesn’t simply rubber stamp the plan.

Feingold, together with Sens. Robert Casey Jr.(D-PA), Kirsten Gellibrand (D-NY), Carl Levin (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Shumer (D-NY), asked PHMSA to explain how it would handle the request to move the nuclear waste through U.S. waters.

In a Nov. 8, 2010 response PHMSA Director Cynthia Quarterman said the agency would begin considering Bruce Power’s application for a “special arrangement” once the shipping plan was approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Over the past two decades the agency has made special arrangements for the shipping of approximately 40 large nuclear power plant components, she said, but “almost all of the prior U.S. consignments had a lesser radioactive hazard than the proposed Canadian steam generator transport.”

All but one of the previous nuclear shipments appear to involve ocean shipping rather than transport over the Great Lakes.

Quarterman said that PHMSA would solicit input from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before granting Bruce Power an exemption from safety regulations.

Feingold asked whether PHMSA be complying with the National Environmental Policy Act [which requires formal environmental review of federal actions with significant environmental impact] and how the agency would ensure public participation and transparency.

Quarterman stated that the agency would comply with NEPA, but offered no details on actions to engage the public.

“It should be noted that although Canada may approve the initial certificate, the U.S. is in no way bound by their approval,” she said. “The U.S. could require additional conditions or elect not to validate.”

PHMSA must conduct a formal environmental review of the plan, said Toledo-based attorney Terry Lodge, who is working with a coalition of U.S. environmental and nuclear watchdog groups intent on stopping the transport.

“This precedent-setting project, if allowed to proceed, will normalize some risky practices that have larger implications for human health and the environment,“ he said. “Bruce Power’s aim is to save money on long-term stewardship costs of radioactive waste by reducing its volume and mixing some of it into recycled metal markets.”

“We believe the proposed shipment manifests as yet unquantified threats to water, the environment and public health in the event of a seal rupture on the generators,” Lodge said. “Radionuclides could enter the Lakes and Seaway, and if so, fisheries and resort activities will be seen as contaminated.”

Lodge said that the transport plans presented by Bruce Power do not detail emergency response measures in the event of a freighter accident and do not include cleanup plans, spill remediation protocols or drinking water protection measures.