Michigan Environment Watch

Previous industry efforts were rebuffed because they would divert funds earmarked for cleanup of contaminated land. A new bill would give beverage distribution companies a tax credit instead.

At a hearing Tuesday before a Senate joint committee, Canadian government, business and union officials said keeping the aging pipeline open would be a “win-win” for Michigan and Canada, while Democratic senators grilled them over safety concerns.

Devastating Midland floods would have been worse were it not for the sponge-like properties of a newly-restored wetland along the Shiawassee River. As climate change brings more intense rainstorms to Michigan, the incident is an example of how wetlands could help mitigate flood threats.

Changing climate threatens to bring more intense storms and worse floods to the Great Lakes region. In Grand Rapids, one park takes neighborhood stormwater runoff and stores it until it returns to the earth.

The plan, which comes two months before the day Whitmer has said Enbridge Energy must stop transporting petroleum through Line 5, outlines investing in rail and storage, incentivizing energy efficiency, and taking other steps to offset the loss of Line 5.

As climate change complicates Lake Erie’s algae problem, scientists say farmers must do far more to reduce phosphorus runoff. But will enough farmers change their ways without a government mandate?

State and federal parks and species managers said they don’t plan to act on a flurry of legislative resolutions calling for new hunting seasons targeting gray wolves, sandhill cranes and Isle Royale moose.

A significant number of residential septic systems need repair or replacement, but efforts to enact a statewide code have been hampered by the expense and disagreement over what events would trigger an inspection.

In a report detailing 86 recommendations designed to improve dam safety in Michigan, members of a state task force focused on changes to state law and policy, along with funding fixes to prevent future dam failures like the Edenville break in May.

Michigan’s electricity sector is more prepared for extreme cold and is connected to a regional grid that increases its resilience. But experts say it remains vulnerable to extreme weather events that will become more common as the climate changes.

The so-called “forever chemical” can be found in every room of the author’s home. It’s in the nonstick pans used for taco night, food packaging from take-out, on a floor mat and in waterproof boots. And, he learned, in his (and Ling Ling’s) blood.

Warming waters are hard on some fish, such as walleye, and more favorable to others, such as smallmouth bass. With so many environmental stresses, it’s difficult to gauge the future of individual lakes.

Severe storms can lead to intensive flooding, soil erosion and disruption to fish populations. Timing is everything in nature.

With warming temperatures, fluctuating water levels and a series of extreme storms, Lake Superior is undergoing dramatic alterations amid climate change.

The company's unloading of North American regional brands follows years of controversy over Nestlé's ability to withdraw vast volumes of ground water for a minimal licensing fee and sell it for a profit.

For all climate change has wrought, Michigan and the Great Lakes region — with an abundance of fresh water, warming winters and less fire-prone forests — stand to attract millions of new residents in future decades eager to escape flooded coastal areas and the parched land of the West.

Years into Michigan’s PFAS contamination crisis, little is known about how the chemicals affect the fish and wildlife that live in tainted environments. Michigan has become a laboratory for answers.

Three decades since the first quagga mussels appeared in the Great Lakes, the invasive bivalves have become so prolific, they control a key nutrient that sustains aquatic life.

After years of decline, the sale of state hunting and fishing licenses soared in 2020, particularly among young people. But some question if this marks a trend or a blip, and whether Michigan needs a new, more reliable model for funding conservation.

Ice fishers carrying spears converged on Black Lake Saturday for what amounted to a two-hour fishing season. It’s part of a creative recovery effort that’s helping to bring the state’s sturgeon population back from the brink.