The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has improved conditions in polluted lakes and rivers, but sometimes failed to deliver on environmental justice goals.
Kelly House
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Environment
New study: Great Lakes beaches are littered with plastic trash
A group analyzed 20 years of beach cleanup data, finding that 86% of litter is composed at least partially of plastic.
Posted inEnvironment, Political and Public Policy Information
Michigan has 9 months to figure out new energy law. Some say time is wasting
Come November, Michigan will dramatically change how it regulates large wind and solar developments. On Thursday, experts raised a host of concerns.
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change is erasing Michigan winters, taking our heritage with them
Lost winters like 2024 may soon be the norm. That threatens so much of what makes Michigan unique, from ice fishing and snowmobiling to cross-country skiing and just traipsing in the snow.
Posted inPolitical and Public Policy Information
Michigan Dems abolish panel that gives industry say in regulations
Legislative Democrats on Tuesday voted to do away with an environmental oversight panel that critics said gave too much power to outside parties.
Posted inEducation
MSU professor saw students die. A year later, he fights for ‘a good life’
Professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz says concern for his students, support from MSU is helping him overcome trauma after a gunman burst into his class last year and began a shooting spree that killed three.
Posted inEnvironment, Housing
Michigan plans big spending to insulate homes. But can it find contractors?
Making homes more energy-efficient saves money and helps combat climate change. But while Michigan is flush with cash to weatherize low-income homes, it struggles to find workers who install insulation and seal air leaks.
Posted inEnvironment
After 18 years, Dems aim to restore Michigan pollution regulators’ power
For nearly two decades, state law has forbidden environmental regulators from writing new water quality rules. Environmentalists contend that’s putting the public at risk. But business groups fear higher costs if Michigan reverses the ban.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Michigan state parks system leads the nation in accessible recreation
Michigan now has more options for mobility-impaired people to access beaches and trails than any other state, after a yearslong effort to make parks more accessible.
Posted inEnvironment
No convictions for Flint: Attorney general ends water crisis prosecutions
A state prosecution team on Tuesday announced it’s given up on the effort to criminally charge public officials for the Flint water crisis. One unsurprised community leader called it “the norm” for a city repeatedly failed by the state.