Environment
AG fires former lead investigator in Flint water criminal probe
The former prosecutor who led the Flint water criminal probe against 15 current and former state or local officials is no longer part of the case, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office confirmed Monday. The decision to fire Todd Flood was related to the Friday discovery of 23 boxes full of evidence in a government building […]
Oscoda residents vent to Air Force brass about PFAS worries
Beneath the natural beauty of Clark’s Marsh in Oscoda lurks some of the highest concentrations of toxic chemicals from firefighting foam in the state. The Huron National Forest destination north of Michigan’s Thumb was once popular for hunting and fishing. Now it’s covered with metal signs riddled with bullet holes and messages warning locals not […]
EPA issues weaker cleanup rules for toxic PFAS chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued weaker draft standards for toxic cleanup at hazardous waste sites following pressure from the Department of Defense, the New York Times reported Thursday. The federal agency released a set of proposed standards Thursday that would do away with a section on how to respond to “immediate threats […]
Nessel joins fight against Trump’s coal plant, water, for-profit college rules
Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined three multi-state efforts opposing the President Donald Trump administration rules on harmful air pollution, wetland regulation and “loopholes in federal laws” that may deceive veterans in school advertisements. Nessel’s office announced in a Friday press release that she has joined dozens of other attorneys general across the country in […]
Anne Woiwode: Whitmer must shut down Line 5
On Earth Day, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s visionary new Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) was born, bringing together the ambitious goals of protecting the Great Lakes, addressing climate change and environmental justice and enacting an agenda to quickly transition to a clean energy future. But just days earlier, it was reported that Whitmer […]
Green New Deal not backed by most Michigan Dems, Republicans in Congress
Michigan’s congressional Democrats all agree that something needs to be done about climate change. But most are not voicing support for the much-discussed Green New Deal from U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.), stand alone as the only two Michigan […]
DEQ: New lead regulations will likely uncover more impacted communities
As multiple lawsuits stemming from the Flint water crisis drag on, Michigan may soon find that other cities have lead levels higher than allowed by state regulations. Top Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) officials told a panel of lawmakers Thursday that the state’s 2018 update to the Lead and Copper Rule, adopted under former Gov. […]
Ananich: Won’t endorse yet in Flint election, says Dems will work with GOP on roads
Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich is nearing a full decade of service in Michigan’s Legislature, and he doesn’t mince words while looking back: “I think we’re going to look back at the tenure of [Republican former] Gov. [Rick] Snyder as one of the worst things to happen to Michigan,” the Democrat said when asked about […]
Enviros urge Whitmer to halt oil tunnel plan, as GOP lauds talks
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been in talks with Enbridge officials and is still not ruling out the Canadian energy company’s plan to bury a new oil pipeline beneath Mackinac Straits bedrock, the Detroit News reported. In response, environmentalist lobbying groups in Michigan are steering clear of criticizing the Democratic governor over the issue, but argue […]
Whitmer, Great Lakes governors oppose Trump’s water order
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and four other Democratic Great Lakes governors wrote a letter this week to President Donald Trump’s administration opposing an executive order over changes to water quality certifications. Trump last week issued an executive order easing energy regulations that also alters the Clean Water Act, making it easier to approve pipeline projects. Both […]
Enviro scorecard: Peters, Stabenow earn 100%, Huizenga, Walberg at zero
Michigan’s congressional delegation lagged those of the greenest states in the nation when it comes to supporting environmentally-friendly federal policy, according to a new report from the League of Conservation Voters. The report for 2018 — before this current term — offered consistently high marks to Democrats, but few to Republicans, including in Michigan. The […]
State announces panel members who will set PFAS drinking water limit
A state task force announced on Thursday the members of a new panel that will determine drinking water limits for a suite of toxic chemicals. In a press release, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) announced the three members who will determine by April 2020 the official drinking water limit for PFAS, or per- […]