Environment
More states strive to make parks, trails accessible to people with disabilities
TWO HARBORS, Minn. — Perched high on rugged cliffs overlooking Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse dominates the shoreline. Visitors from across the country make the 113-year-old beacon one of the most-photographed lighthouses in the country. The most spectacular view, many say, is from Pebble Beach, reachable only by a steep, winding forest trail that snakes […]
Column: Climate grief and the stark choice that confronts us
If the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, Americans can be found at all points along the continuum when it comes to global climate change and the environmental crisis that accompanies it. Like many who’ve contemplated a grim healthcare diagnosis that seems to belie of how they feel in the […]
Whitmer signs climate change legislation setting 100% clean energy standard for Michigan by 2040
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a slate of bills Tuesday that take her proposals from the MI Healthy Climate Plan and make them into state law. Held at Detroit’s Eastern Market, the ceremony followed House passage earlier this month of a half-a-dozen pieces of climate change legislation from Democrats that address, among other issues, clean energy […]
Federal judge finds former owner of mid-Michigan dams liable for nearly $120M in damages
A default judgment has been entered against the former owner of a mid-Michigan dam that failed in 2020, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people and damaging thousands of homes and businesses. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on Monday awarded a $119.8 million judgment against Lee Mueller, whose business, […]
New life for old coal: Minelands and power plants are hot renewable development spots
PETERSBURG, Ind. — AES Indiana’s Petersburg Generating Station, which towers over the White River here in southwest Indiana, has been burning coal to generate electricity since the late 1960s. That era, though, will come to an end soon. Two of the power plant’s four coal-burning units have already retired and the last is planning to […]
How climate change can confuse fall foliage
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Most trees in this patch of forest had yellow leaves. Some slowly drifted down, landing on the North Country Trail about seven miles from the village of […]
Whitmer signs teacher evaluation reforms, tenant protections and Juneteenth legislation
On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed off on bills to modify teacher evaluations, provide tenants with notifications of imminent hazards on their property and establish Juneteenth as a state holiday, alongside a number of other policies. Senate Bills 395 and 396, introduced by state Sens. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) […]
Report: Market could adapt to Line 5 shutdown without shortages or price increases
Updated, 1:34 p.m. 11/22/23, with comments from Enbridge A report has found that a shutdown of the Line 5 pipeline would be both commercially and operationally feasible and proposes a number of alternatives for transporting crude oil and natural gas liquids. PLG Consulting, which advises a variety of industries — including oil and gas — […]
Five charts on the changing Midwestern climate
The just-released Fifth National Climate Assessment contains some grim predictions about the future climate trajectory of the Midwest and the country as a whole. Temperatures are warming, environments are degrading, and the world we once knew is evolving into something very different. The report also contains a lot of charts, and in many cases those […]
UAW ratifies contract with automakers, Detroit casino workers approve deals at two locations
As the United Auto Workers (UAW) union votes to ratify contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the Detroit Casino Council strike will continue at MGM Grand Casino following an announcement on Sunday. The Detroit Casino Council, which is made up of members from UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating […]
Federal report forecasts the Midwest’s climate future
More ticks. More mosquitos. Less snowmobiling and ice fishing. Those are just a few of the climate impacts facing Midwestern states in the coming decades, according to the just-released Fifth National Climate Assessment. The massive, congressionally-mandated report is released roughly every five years in an attempt to track how climate change is affecting the United […]
Here’s your guide to what the Michigan Legislature didn’t finish this year
The first Democratic-majority Legislature in four decades ended a frenzied year early this month after sending the governor a slew of legislative priorities, including a clean energy overhaul, abortion rights reforms and financial disclosure requirements for state officials. That came after an even busier first few months that saw Democrats use their narrow majorities to […]