A House oversight committee plans to spend the next several weeks taking testimony on the risks posed by Big Tech’s foray into Michigan.
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.
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Fifty years after the Clean Water Act put an end to flagrant pollution of America’s waterways, the Great Lakes News Collaborative explores the act’s successes and shortcomings. Read the series here.
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 Environment Watch
Scientists trying to solve mystery of ‘rock snot’ in Michigan streams
Didymo — also called ‘rock snot’ because of its appearance — suddenly bloomed in Michigan streams in recent years, and scientists don’t really know why.
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.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Invasive sea lamprey declining as control efforts in the Great Lakes resume
Sea lamprey are an invasive species that feed on the blood and bodily fluids of fish. Their numbers in the Great Lakes rose during the COVID-19 pandemic but have dropped to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Is Michigan’s aging water infrastructure ready for data center boom?
Much of the country’s water infrastructure was built 40 to 50 years ago and is showing its age. Michigan is no exception.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan allocates $77 million to clean thousands of contaminated sites
The state is pouring $77 million into clean-up of contaminated abandoned real estate such as former factories. The director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says the goal is to make the cleaned-up sites safe for housing, commercial developments and other uses.