District 4 City Council Member Latisha Johnson advocated for the $1 million state grant to target sea wall repairs as a step toward moving the neighborhood out of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood hazard designation.
Environment
Community is key in Detroiters’ fight for environmental justice
The panel brought together passionate grassroots activists, advocates and organizers to discuss community-focused solutions.
DTE Energy secures $242 million electric rate increase
In August, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed testimony asking the MPSC to approve an increase of $158.4 million, a roughly 72% reduction of DTE’s request that would have represented a 2.5% jump in the average utility customer’s bill.
‘We can’t wait for the city to just save us’: Southwest Detroit’s catastrophic water main break 1 year later
A year later, residents and local organizers say the totality of the incident – from financial losses to health concerns – prolonged the recovery process.
Judge fines DTE, its Zug Island facility $100 million for Clean Air Act violations
The EPA sought a $140 million civil penalty in the lawsuit, which DTE lawyers said amounts to a shutdown order on Zug Island.
Trump cancels federal climate regulations. Here’s what it means for Michigan
Despite scientific consensus on the harms posed by climate change, the administration no longer views greenhouse gases as harmful to public health. That sets the stage to stop regulating them.
Data center moratoriums pile up in Michigan. No one knows if they’ll work
No fewer than 19 communities have paused data center development, while bipartisan lawmakers push to repeal policies that have lured the industry to Michigan.
Michigan drinking water expert ousted from EPA council: A warning to whistleblowers?
The dismissal of Elin Betanzo from the National Drinking Water Advisory Council by the EPA follows a seven-month investigation into her signing of a letter criticizing Trump-era environmental rollbacks.
EPA drops health cost calculations for air pollution: How it could harm Detroiters
The agency will no longer consider health costs and deaths prevented when reducing two major pollutants, but will account for costs to industry.
PFAS levels are declining in Great Lakes fish, new research shows
The study, spearheaded by a federal research office that the Trump administration has since dismantled, shows fish responded quickly after manufacturers stopped using some PFAS compounds.
