Environment
Gilchrist talks about what’s next for Michigan cities, education, clean energy and more
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist told the Michigan Advance on Wednesday that he is looking forward to efforts that would support clean energy, schools and continued investments into Michigan’s economy. At the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference, Gilchrist and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have focused on promoting inclusive policies to support Michigan families and bring more people and […]
New report outlines ways to bolster Michigan’s tech industry as state struggles to retain talent
As Michigan legislators work to establish new jobs in electric vehicles and manufacturing, automakers are releasing the results of a new study to attract high-tech talent and business to Michigan. The report was published through a partnership between the MICHauto, an organization advocating for the state’s automotive, mobility and tech industry, and the Creative Class […]
Debt limit deal hits turbulence in Congress as leaders prep for vote
WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement forged over the weekend, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly remove […]
Tlaib introduces bill expanding public land access for environmental justice communities
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), alongside Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives aimed at breaking down barriers to accessing the outdoors – particularly public lands and waters – faced by many environmental justice communities. The Environmental Justice in Recreation Permitting Act (EJRPA) would require an interagency study between […]
Sluggish pace of interconnection might jeopardize states’ renewable goals, report says
Despite reforms meant to speed up the queue, delays in getting mostly new solar, wind and storage projects through the largest American grid operator’s interconnection process could make it tough for some states to hit their renewable energy goals, per a report released Thursday by an environmental group. The report by the Natural Resources Defense […]
Offshore wind in the Midwest? Some Great Lakes leaders think so.
Years from now, when Chicagoans stroll the Lake Michigan waterfront, they may see the blades of wind turbines glinting on the horizon. Clevelanders could glimpse wind farms over Lake Erie. And cities like Milwaukee and Buffalo could be vying to attract a burgeoning offshore wind industry on the Great Lakes. That’s the vision some regional leaders have […]
Indigenous leaders urge Biden to shut down Line 5 pipeline due to ‘imminent’ threat
Leaders from the Indigenous Women’s Treaty Alliance submitted a letter Thursday to the Biden administration with an emergency request to decommission the Line 5 pipeline due to imminent threats of oil spills impacting the Bad River Watershed and the Great Lakes. The controversial 70-year-old pipeline, operated by Canadian oil company Enbridge, flows crude oil from […]
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Biden wetlands regulation, ruling for Idaho couple
The U.S. Supreme Court in a major environmental decision on Thursday overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of wetlands that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction, siding with an Idaho couple who’d said they should not be required to obtain federal permits to build on their property that lacked any navigable water. All nine justices agreed […]
With summer coming fast, regulator issues electric reliability warning
As much as two thirds of North America could face shortages of electricity this summer in the event of severe and protracted heat, according to the regulator in charge of setting and enforcing standards for the electric grid. “Increased, rapid deployment of wind, solar and batteries have made a positive impact,” said Mark Olson, manager […]
EPA again proposes power plant carbon rules
The Obama administration’s 2015 Clean Power Plan — intended to cut carbon emissions from power plants — was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Trump administration’s much-criticized replacement, the Affordable Clean Energy rule, derided as a “tortured series of misreadings” of the U.S. Clean Air Act, was also tossed by a federal court. But the Biden […]
Judge decides not to shut down Line 5 over shoreline erosion concerns
A federal judge ruled against conducting an emergency shutdown of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline Thursday, sections of which operate on Bad River tribal lands. The Bad River Band argued in U.S. District Court in Madison that Line 5 has become an imminent danger due to recent post-storm erosion, which has carved away large sections […]
Overhaul federal permitting as part of the debt limit deal? Not as easy as it sounds.
Congressional leaders negotiating a deal to avoid a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt are talking about including an overhaul of how the federal government reviews projects for their environmental impact. There is bipartisan support for changes to the lengthy environmental approval process among climate-minded Democrats eager to speed construction of renewable energy projects, as […]