Kelly House

Michigan struggles to keep up as costs mount to clean up sites. But Lansing lawmakers aren’t considering options to raise more money for long-term contamination sites, making them likely to cost millions annually for generations.

Holtec International hopes to bring the small modular reactors online by 2030, but will first need to secure permits and overcome financial challenges that have stymied efforts to commercialize the nascent technology.

The ruling puts Enbridge Energy a step closer to tunnel construction despite opposition from environmental and Native American groups and Democratic officials. Critics say they fear catastrophe if the pipelines remain in the Straits of Mackinac.

The proposed EPA rule follows years of growing awareness of lead’s perils following the 2014 Flint water crisis. Michigan regulators support the rule, but say the state will need more money to meet the more aggressive timeline.

Few have contributed more to the understanding of the early Americas and ancient mammals than Dan Fisher. After dozens of digs and numerous studies, he’s retiring from the University of Michigan this year.

The industry grew faster than the state’s overall economy, as it continued benefitting from a pandemic-era resurgence in camping, hiking, boating and the like. But there are challenges, and some argue the state must do more to bolster the industry.

Southern Michigan is being overrun by deer, and a series of steps to reduce herds have not helped. So state game managers are urging hunters this fall to forgo big bucks for does to lower birth rates. Not every hunter is on board.

State regulators are ratcheting down the number of fish anglers can keep in some rivers, citing fears that the fish could be in trouble. State scientists disagree.

In a party-line vote, the Senate passed bills that establish statewide permitting rules for large renewable energy developments, an end-run around local efforts to block wind and solar proposals in Michigan. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the legislation.

Eight years and millions of dollars later, investigations into the Flint water crisis will yield no trials for top Michigan officials. Legal experts say such cases are difficult, but Nessel’s office made several key errors.

A divided Michigan House passes legislation requiring utilities to draw 100 percent of their energy from clean sources by 2040. That's a later timeline than environmentalists had sought — and foes say it will raise rates — but many say the reform is overdue.

Passed along party lines, the legislation would end local governments’ authority to approve or deny projects. Proponents say the change would end local controversies and jump-start clean energy. Foes say it’s anti-farm and heavy-handed.

A state prosecution team on Tuesday announced it’s given up on the effort to criminally charge public officials for the Flint water crisis. One unsurprised community leader called it “the norm” for a city repeatedly failed by the state.

The series of bills should increase business accountability and reduce cleanup costs paid by taxpayers, supporters say. But business groups are wary of them, saying they’re extreme and could push companies out of the state.

From metro Detroit to the Upper Peninsula, automakers and suppliers have polluted dozens of Michigan communities and left taxpayers with the cleanup bill. See if your town is affected.

The auto industry profited in Michigan communities, moved on, and left behind contamination that still festers today. See how Michigan cities have been left holding the bag.

Bridge Michigan explored the public cost of allowing automakers to leave polluted plants behind while they seek state incentives to build new ones. The Michigan Legislature is now poised to introduce bills to hold industry more accountable.

The bills would shift permitting authority over large wind and solar projects from local governments to the state. They have support from environmentalists, and opposition from local government advocates.

As climate change threatens to warm Michigan rivers, dam removal can drive temperatures down by several degrees overnight. An influx of state and federal money has boosted removal efforts, but advocates say more is needed.

Roughly 87 years since Arctic grayling were spotted in Michigan, the iridescent fish will soon be fishable in a handful of Upper Peninsula lakes. The state hopes to eventually build a self-sustaining population in the Lower Peninsula.