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Michigan Environment Watch examines how public policy, industry, and other factors interact with the state’s trove of natural resources.
Articles
Michigan waited years to heed warnings on PFAS dangers, expert says
A DEQ veteran sounded alarms about threats to waters in 2010. Seven years later, Michigan took action. ‘I was at the edge of the abyss looking into hell,” scientist testifies.
Mackinac Bridge Authority in no hurry to consider Line 5 tunnel deal
On his way out of office, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder presents Line 5 tunnel deal to bridge authority members, drawing deep scrutiny.
Gretchen Whitmer and Dana Nessel vowed to shut Line 5. Now’s their chance
Halting Enbridge Energy’s oil pumping beneath the Straits of Mackinac was key promise in the Democratic campaigns of Michigan’s next governor and attorney general. Can they deliver?
Lead levels drop in Michigan kids after Flint spike. But so does testing.
With map: After a one-year increase, blood lead levels are down again in Michigan. But is it because fewer people are getting tested now that the Flint water crisis has faded?
In Northern Michigan, tribes protesting Line 5 hunker down for winter
Representing Native Americans across Michigan and beyond, a small group of “water protectors” say they plan to camp out near the Straits of Mackinac until Enbridge Energy’s oil pipeline is shut down.
Michigan tribes say Line 5 pipeline tunnel plan ignores treaty rights
Grand Traverse Band says ‘we were here first,’ but have been ‘pushed aside and treated as second-class people’ during debate and discussion about the controversial oil pipeline.
Great Lakes drownings peaked in 2018. And the year’s not over.
A safety advocacy group has tracked 728 Great Lakes drownings since 2010, including 105 in the first 10 months of 2018.
Minnesota has fought PFAS for years. Here’s how its plan can help Michigan.
Michigan is planning to sue 3M for manufacturing hazardous chemicals showing up in water systems. Minnesota sued the company years ago and is sharing documents and other information, a top Minnesota regulator says.
Michigan environment roundup: ‘Bee highway’ to the rescue in Detroit
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Enbridge to build $350M tunnel to protect Line 5 in Straits of Mackinac
Gov. Rick Snyder announces that he won’t seek shutdown of controversial oil pipeline, opting instead for an agreement with its owners, Enbridge Energy, to protect it with a tunnel.
Monarch butterflies need saving in Michigan. Fenton woman does her part.
Climate change, loss of habitat and destruction of milkweed are plunging populations of monarch butterflies, which are vital to the ecosystem.
Michigan groundwater emergency threatens fish, drinking water, way of life
From PFAS to leaking septic tanks and farm runoff, Michigan’s most precious resource – its fresh water – is under assault from a host of threats. A new report says the crisis doesn’t receive the urgency it deserves.
Lack of oversight allows leaky septic systems to befoul Michigan waters
One in three homes in Michigan is hooked up to septic systems, and the state is one of a few in the nation without laws governing residential units.
Dry wells, salty crops forced Ottawa County to confront groundwater crisis
Booming development declines aquifers, making them more polluted with dangerous nitrates. Even though Michigan is home to the Great Lakes, some communities are learning the wells can run dry.
Michigan PFAS by the numbers: How much is unsafe?
Confusion runs rampant about PFAS dangers. The federal government and states can’t agree on how much is unsafe for states. Here’s a primer on what’s known so far.
Forty years ago, Michigan had one of worst mass poisonings in U.S. history
A mixup in livestock supplements forever changed the course of history in Kalkaska County, sickening tens of thousands of cows and causing health complications to humans that may still linger.
Online broadcast to discuss Michigan groundwater emergency on Oct. 1
Bridge and its partners, Circle of Blue and Detroit Public Television, will host an interactive broadcast to discuss pollution threats that affect millions worldwide.
A slow-moving ‘disaster’ is threatening Lake Superior and way of life
The Buffalo Reef in the Keweenaw Peninsula teems with lake trout and whitefish. But a mountain of waste from a closed mine is slowly seeping into the water, prompting a desperate search for a solution.
Slideshow: In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, mining waste threatens Buffalo Reef
View photos from the past and present showing how waste from a closed mine is smothering key fish spawning grounds in Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Bay.
Mining waste and growing wetlands mean more mercury in fish in Upper Peninsula
A Michigan Tech researcher says studies show humans are at risk because of high levels of the toxic metal in inland Great Lakes fish.