In testimony to state regulators who will decide whether to approve the sale, experts questioned Consumers Energy’s financial math and raised concerns that new owners could stick the public with repair or removal costs.
Kelly House
Kelly House covers Michigan environmental issues for Bridge. She joined the Bridge staff in March 2020. Previously, Kelly reported for the Oregonian, where her coverage of the environment and other topics garnered national honors and sparked state efforts to better protect Oregon’s natural resources. She has a master’s degree in environmental law from Lewis & Clark Law School and a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University. She is from Harrison and lives in Lansing. You can reach her at khouse@bridgemi.com or on Twitter at @Kelly_M_House.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
This plant invaded Michigan with ‘chemical warfare.’ Can beetles defeat it?
State regulators are considering allowing landowners to unleash imported beetles to kill off spotted knapweed, one of the state’s most prolific invaders. Beekeepers may not like that.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Feds take another step toward decision on Line 5 tunnel
The US Army Corps released an environmental review Friday that is the last step toward issuing key permits for the Line 5 tunnel.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan lawmakers take up ‘critically important’ data center debate
A House oversight committee plans to spend the next several weeks taking testimony on the risks posed by Big Tech’s foray into Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Data center moratoriums pile up in Michigan. No one knows if they’ll work
No fewer than 19 communities have paused data center development, while bipartisan lawmakers push to repeal policies that have lured the industry to Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Government
Where Michigan gubernatorial candidates stand on data centers
Bridge Michigan asked gubernatorial candidates for their stance on the hot-button issue of data centers, amid concerns surrounding Benson’s familial and professional connections to a data center developer. Here’s what they said.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Hundreds of miles of new transmission lines planned in Michigan
Michigan’s largest transmission company wants to build more than 350 miles of new high-voltage power lines across the Lower Peninsula in the coming years, starting with a 50-mile segment near Lansing. Company officials tout more reliable and cheaper energy, but neighbors are wary.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan AG Nessel sues big oil over ‘cartel’-like plot to kill clean energy
In a lawsuit expected to be filed today, Nessel alleges some of the world’s largest oil companies colluded to suppress the development of EVs and clean energy to keep Americans reliant on fossil fuels.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Whitmer wants Michigan to be a hub for ‘geologic hydrogen.’ What’s that?
Extracting the gas from underground could produce “a massive economic boom” for Michigan, Whitmer said as she announced an executive directive on hydrogen exploration. While Michigan is seen as a prime place to look for the gas, the industry faces headwinds.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
PFAS levels are declining in Great Lakes fish, new research shows
The study, spearheaded by a federal research office that the Trump administration has since dismantled, shows fish responded quickly after manufacturers stopped using some PFAS compounds.