Environment
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 […]
Enviros praise Senate passage of bill allowing state regulations to be stricter than federal standards
The Michigan Senate voted Wednesday to reverse a rule enacted during GOP former Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration that doesn’t allow state agencies to impose regulations stricter than federal regulations. Supporters of SB 14, which passed along partisan lines, 20-18, and now heads to the state House for approval, say the legislation will allow Michigan to […]
Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loans
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. Congress approved the federal spending — $9.7 billion for a grant and loan program the department is calling the New Empowering Rural America program, or […]
Speedier permitting of energy projects gains bipartisan backing on U.S. Senate panel
Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voiced their support Thursday for reforming the federal process for approving energy projects, saying it should be prioritized to secure domestic energy supply and boost renewable energy. There is bipartisan interest in revising the permitting process and members of both parties have […]
Amid Michigan’s water infrastructure woes, lawmakers renew push for a state septic code
Michigan Democrats are taking another pass at introducing a statewide septic code, continuing a decades-long effort in the Legislature. Despite the issue’s bipartisan history, Michigan remains the only state without a septic code, with recent efforts failing to gain traction within the Legislature. As the state contends with flooding and sewer backups, addressing individual septic […]
As the anniversary of Enbridge’s refusal to shut down Line 5 approaches, groups press Biden admin
Updated, 6:16 p.m., 5/10/23 As the two-year anniversary approaches since Canadian oil company Enbridge began defying a state shutdown order, environmental groups this week are renewing their call for the Biden administration to take immediate action to protect the Great Lakes from a controversial 70-year-old crude oil pipeline. “There’s no place for old technology that […]
Lawmakers plan to address PFAS in products, support for impacted communities and more
A group of lawmakers and advocates gathered in Lansing Tuesday to announce the anticipated rollout of a large set of bills targeting toxic “forever chemicals,” which have long plagued Michigan’s drinking water, soil and air. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made substances, often byproducts of manufacturing, that pose threats to public health. The Michigan […]
Biden rule protecting lesser prairie-chicken overturned by U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed on a 50-48 vote a resolution overturning a Biden administration rule that listed a popular Southwestern game bird under a federal endangered species designation. The White House has vowed President Joe Biden would veto the resolution if it clears Congress. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Republican-controlled House. […]
Dingell on hazardous waste storage: ‘We’re worried about living near these sites’
Three federal lawmakers held a public meeting Thursday in Belleville designed to address transportation and storage of hazardous waste in Southeast Michigan. The forum with U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit) was held after public concern surrounding the transport in February of hazardous waste from an East Palestine, […]
U.N. panel on Indigenous issues asks Canada and U.S. to shut down Line 5 pipeline
In a final report issued Friday, an Indigenous-led United Nations panel recommended that Canada and the United States shut down the controversial Line 5 oil pipeline that transports oil through tribal treaty lands and waters in Michigan. “The permanent forum calls on Canada to reexamine its support for Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline that jeopardizes […]
Interior secretary under fire at U.S. Senate hearing over oil and gas leases, public lands
Members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee used a Tuesday hearing on the Interior Department’s fiscal 2024 budget to voice their displeasure with the administration’s energy production policies to Secretary Deb Haaland. The strongest criticism came from Republicans on the panel, though Chairman Joe Manchin III, a centrist West Virginia Democrat with […]