Michigan Environment Watch

Democrats want to raise some fees by 50% or more and switch to an ‘opt-out’ model for recreation passports. The state says costs haven’t kept up with inflation.

A new study in the journal “Urban Ecosystems” found that high blood lead levels in robins can accurately predict where soil is contaminated.

The US and Canada are working together to stop a massive fish from gobbling up Great Lakes greenery.

The law aims to counter local pushback that is slowing efforts to replace fossil fuel power with green energy. But it faces challenges. Here’s what to know.

Michigan’s transition to green energy is plagued by fights over placing wind and solar arrays on farmland and forests. But fewer balked over plans to build a green energy plant on abandoned industrial land.

As climate change increasingly shapes the Great Lakes region’s ecology and economy, scientists plan to use underwater robots to gather previously inaccessible data they say will help communities adapt.

A binational group of fisheries experts made the declaration Wednesday, after seven decades of effort to recover the fish from a collapse caused by invasive species and overfishing.

More than 70 townships and counties challenge how Michigan went about implementing a new law allowing the state to overrule local authorities on siting big energy projects.

At the Eagle Mine in Marquette County, a $145 million federal grant-funded project promises to turn dangerous mining waste into valuable metals and chemicals. Proponents hope it signals a new era of cleaner, more efficient mining. But some are skeptical.

Data server farms are big business. But it takes a ton of energy to store data in the cloud, prompting concerns among environmentalists. Michigan is poised to give the servers tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks.

Michigan was hailed as a national leader when it set PFAS drinking water limits in 2020. Now, chemical company 3M wants the limits voided.

The season starts Friday. You asked, we answered: Why isn’t year-round hunting? Why are deer so numerous even with so many hunters? What about a commercial hunt?

The incoming president is expected to resume the environmental rollbacks that were a signature of his first term in office, while prioritizing oil and gas and dismantling Biden-era electric vehicle and climate policies.

Residents who want to avoid raking their leaves this fall may do so with peace of mind. Experts say leaving the leaves can be beneficial for insects and other critters that rely on them.

With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting “warmer-than-average” temperatures for parts of the Great Lakes, winter festivals from Metro Detroit to the Western Upper Peninsula are preparing to adapt.

A $2 billion plan to clean up century-old mining waste illustrates how tribes have been uniquely impacted by mining pollution, and why some are skeptical of new mine proposals.

A mining rush is on for minerals used for electric batteries, as the United States undergoes an energy transition. Photos show how the process works.

Decades after the bust, prospectors again descend on Michigan’s northwoods for minerals to make electric batteries. Communities are desperate for jobs. But at what cost?

The western Upper Peninsula is ‘at the end of the road,’ desperately needs help and should welcome mining with open arms, a retired miner says.

An artist is leading the fight against expanding mining in the western UP. She says society needs a reckoning about consumption, not more heavy extraction.