Thursday’s vote is a watershed moment in the years-long effort to strengthen Michigan’s dam safety standards, which are among the nation’s weakest.
Michigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environment Watch examines how public policy, industry, and other factors interact with the state’s trove of natural resources.
Great Lakes News Collaborative
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, The Narwhal and Michigan Public work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. You can find all of the collaborative’s stories here.
Shockwave
The Great Lakes region is in the midst of a seismic energy shakeup, from skyrocketing data center demand and a nuclear energy boom, to expanding renewables and electrification. In 2026, the Great Lakes News Collaborative will explore how shifting supply and demand affect the region and its waters. Read the series here.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Near Sleeping Bear Dunes, residents battle beavers — and feds — over floods
Residents around an Up North lake deal with routine flooding and say flat-tailed rodents downstream are to blame.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Shifting sand is natural to Michigan’s dunes. How to cope is controversial
Great Lakes sand dunes, especially those on the Lake Michigan shoreline, are threatened by erosion and fluctuating water levels. But there’s disagreement on alternative approaches to effectively address the problems.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Court strikes Trump order that forced Michigan coal plant to stay open
A federal court ruled the Trump administration overstepped its authority when it forced Consumers Energy’s Campbell coal plant to keep running past its planned closure date. But for now, the coal will keep burning.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
What to know about Michigan’s Consumers dams sale debate
State utility regulators are preparing to rule on the deal, in a decision that could have major implications for Michigan rivers, rural economies and energy bills.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling
In a letter to the CEO of Enbridge Energy, the Michigan governor questioned whether the Line 5 tunnel will ever be built and called it ‘untenable’ for the company to keep pumping oil through the Straits.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Consumers seeks last-minute delay of decision on Michigan dam sales
The utility wants more time to win over critics opposed to selling 13 aging dams for $1 apiece. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others want state regulators to kill the deal.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
With no time to spare, Michigan hatches a Great Lakes whitefish rescue plan
With little time left to avert a population collapse, officials plan to pluck whitefish from the mussel-infested Great Lakes and raise their offspring in hatcheries.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan expands EV infrastructure, but access remains unequal, study finds
Michigan is actively expanding electric vehicle infrastructure and promoting the transition to electric transportation, but researches say the presence of charging stations doesn’t necessarily mean all residents can benefit equally from EVs.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How MSU is using wasps to fight invasive beetles
As part of the MSU effort, more than 4,400 parasitoid wasps that lay eggs inside scarlet lily beetle larvae were released across Michigan.