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.
Planet Detroit
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Environment
‘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.
Posted inEnvironment
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.
Posted inEnvironment, Political and Public Policy Information
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.
Posted inEnvironment, Health and Welfare
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.
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Environment
‘World-class attraction’ Belle Isle kicks off 2026 with digital makeover
The Belle Isle Conservancy’s new website includes a space to share island memories, a centralized calendar, and Spotify playlists for the island.
Posted inEnvironment, Health and Welfare
Detroit air quality declines due to winter weather patterns: What the forecast says
Michigan is in a warmer weather pattern that traps pollution at the surface, a meteorologist tells Planet Detroit.
Posted inEnvironment
Detroit gathering focuses on role of environmental justice in Michigan’s climate work
The engagement session aims to address community needs and the bigger climate picture, says Regina Strong, the state’s environmental justice public advocate.
Posted inEnvironment
Looking back on 2025: A year of reckoning for Michigan’s environment
We won’t sugarcoat it. 2025 was tough: for Michigan communities facing down data centers, bursting pipes, drinking water threats, flooding and industrial pollution, and for our small newsroom working to cover it all.
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Transportation
GUIDE: Resources to help Detroit residents travel to medical care
In Detroit, lack of transportation leaves patients vulnerable, but new initiatives aim to bridge the gap.