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Michigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environment Watch examines how public policy, industry, and other factors interact with the state’s trove of natural resources.
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Articles
It’s not just Flint: Poverty is bad for your health in Michigan, study finds
As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer focuses on environmental justice, a new study by the University of Michigan maps ‘hot spots’ where low-income people of color are exposed to high levels of pollution.
As PFAS fears spread, Michigan ramps up testing by zapping fish
‘Welcome to the rodeo’: Bridge Magazine gets first-hand look at Michigan regulators’ efforts to learn more about toxins in ‘forever chemicals’ by killing and testing fish.
Michigan environment roundup: Lake sturgeon on the rebound
The latest can’t-miss journalism about natural resources in Michigan and the Great Lakes.
Think it’s hot now? Michigan’s 90° days could quadruple in 20 years
Climate change could bring sweltering, dangerous summers to the Midwest, a new report warns, with 34 days per year above 90° if nothing is done. Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor and Monroe would be the hottest.
Climate change could bring woe to Michigan’s lakes, farms, forests
More than heat, unchecked climate change could worsen crop yields, infrastructure and air pollution. Here’s what researchers say could happen in Michigan in coming decades.
Michigan environment roundup: Expect severe algae blooms on Lake Erie
The latest can’t-miss journalism about natural resources in Michigan and the Great Lakes.
Invasive plants choke Michigan waters. So why can anyone order them online?
Residents can order invasive plants through specialty websites, even though they are illegal in Michigan. Is there a better way to protect the state’s fish, waters and tourism industry?
Enbridge begins geological work for Line 5 tunnel, despite Nessel lawsuit
The energy giant will begin geological sampling this week in the Straits of Mackinac, two weeks after Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit to shut down the dual Line 5 pipelines while separately blocking a $500 million tunnel plan to protect them.
Michigan AG Dana Nessel files lawsuit to shut down Line 5 in Mackinac Straits
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is seeking court order to decommission Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac, citing a “continual threat of grave harm” to the Great Lakes. Separately, she’s seeking to dismiss an Enbridge lawsuit to uphold an agreement to bury the pipelines in a bedrock tunnel.
Michigan congresswoman pushes national plan to fix recycling woes
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, co-sponsored a budget amendment that would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to draw up a plan to boost recycling nationwide. The legislation has cleared the House.
Commercial fishing is sinking fast in Michigan. Time for more regulations?
Sportfishing is booming in Michigan, while fewer than two dozen commercial businesses tie their livelihoods to the Great Lakes. The industry has a rich heritage, but some say it’s time to ‘pull the plug on the horse and carriage industry.’
Invasive mussels challenge commercial whitefish fishing in the Great Lakes
The spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels in the Great Lakes has wreaked havoc on Great Lakes food chains. They may be behind a startling decline in whitefish, the most valuable stock for fishermen.
Surging Great Lakes threaten Michigan’s beloved Fishtown
Heavy rains are taking a toll on the collection of fishing shanties in the Leelanau Peninsula, eroding some buildings and flooding others. That’s accelerating a fundraising effort to preserve the buildings.
Michigan environment roundup: Asian carp move closer to the Great Lakes
The latest can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Report: Tug dragged 6-ton anchor for days after denting Line 5 pipeline
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says new federal report detailing anchor strike shows ‘all of the enforcement mechanisms in the world won’t prevent a tragedy.’
Surging Great Lakes water levels shrink beaches, flood docks in Michigan
A few years after record lows, Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Superior broke records for average water heights in May
Opinion | Climate change drives shifts between high, low Great Lakes water levels
Great Lakes are in ‘uncharted territory,’ as climate change prompts sudden lurches in water levels, two University of Michigan professors write.
The debate is on: Will wolves move to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula?
More than 500 wolves live in the Upper Peninsula, but some scientists are split about whether they will return to the Northern Lower Peninsula
Wolves face genetic challenge in Michigan’s Isle Royale, study says
Scientists are scrambling to learn why the wolf population has plummeted on Isle Royale. Blame genes, one study suggests.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer opens up more Michigan farmland to solar power
The Democratic governor reverses a rule by her Republican predecessor and allows solar energy development on as much as 3.4 million acres of farmland.