Environment
U.S. House lawmakers fume after Trump Interior dept. sends them useless pages
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike are irked by how the U.S. Interior Department has responded — or failed to respond — to their oversight requests. “The Trump administration has declared open war on Congress’ constitutional authority to conduct oversight,” said U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. Of […]
Detroit awarded $9.7M to address lead-based hazards
A federal department is awarding Detroit with a $9.7 million grant to address lead-based hazards in the community, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield) announced Thursday. “This funding is critical to protect children in Detroit from the hazards of lead poisoning” as “lead remains a challenge for the city,” Lawrence said in […]
CDC gives state $1M for PFAS testing
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services $1 million to host a study on the exposure of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in West Michigan drinking water. The federal government on Monday announced that Michigan is one of seven states chosen for […]
Final GOP budgets pass Legislature, Whitmer calls bills ‘a mess’
The GOP-led Legislature on Tuesday advanced 15 budget bills that will now head to the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the coming days. The budgets were passed without significant input from Whitmer, a Democrat, as talks between the governor and Republican leaders in the Legislature have broken down in recent weeks. Both state House […]
Michigan Reps. to Trump: Come to the Midwest and defend your PFAS policies
WASHINGTON — Michigan lawmakers want President Trump to travel to the Midwest to defend his opposition to legislative measures to crack down on PFAS contamination. The president has threatened to veto an annual defense spending bill over provisions included by lawmakers from Michigan and other states that aim to force the government to do more […]
Michigan communities chosen for federal PFAS exposure study
WASHINGTON — The federal government announced Monday that Michigan is one of seven states chosen for a study of the human health effects of exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry announced that it will partner with the […]
Whitmer, Greig agree their relationship is ‘fine’ after K-12 budget split
Michigan has a week to go to get next year’s state budget in place, and the Legislature is expected to approve a slew of conference reports during long Tuesday sessions. Even without the Legislature in session on Monday, there was no shortage of drama, with state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) suggesting some of […]
Nessel joins state AGs in suing Trump admin over vehicle emissions
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is among the 23 state attorneys general from around the country suing the federal government over vehicle emission standards. The AGs from states and the District of Columbia also are joined by the cities of Los Angeles and New York in filing suit against the President Trump administration after it […]
Column: Youth climate movement puts ethics at the center of the global debate
Even if you’ve never heard of Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish environmentalist who crossed the Atlantic on a sailboat to attend a Sept. 23 United Nations summit on the climate, you may have seen the student-led Global Climate Strike she helped inspire on Friday, Sept. 20. People in all 50 U.S. states and more than […]
Activists demand bold action at Lansing climate strike
Updated, 2:43 p.m. 9/22/19 with comments from Sen. Peters’ office “What do we want?” “Green New Deal!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” Several hundred people, led by students and young activists, congregated at the Lansing Capitol steps Friday afternoon to chant, march and demand bold action from government leaders on climate change. https://s37741.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/2019/09/19/climate-strike-events-planned-across-michigan-friday/ The […]
Volkswagen clean air settlement money powers first-ever electric school buses in Michigan
Seven Michigan school districts will receive electric school buses by next school year as part of a program to promote cleaner energy and air quality. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) designated funds for 17 electric buses to replace diesel buses at schools in Kalamazoo, Three Rivers, Oxford, Gaylord, Roseville, Ann Arbor […]
Climate Strike events planned across Michigan Friday
Multiple Michigan cities and organizations plan to join worldwide participants of the Friday Global Climate Strike in calling for action against climate change. The events are part of a worldwide event in which young people and adults plan to call for transformative climate action by elected officials, preceding countries convening at the 2019 United Nations […]