Environment

Castro releases lead proposal following trip to Flint

BY: - June 11, 2019

After his weekend trip to Flint, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro has released a plan to “eliminate lead poisoning as a major public health threat.” Castro’s plan would encourage Congress to appropriate $5 billion per year over a 10-year period for lead mitigation efforts, enact a tax credit to remove […]

COMMENTARY

Column: Climate change is driving rapid shifts between high and low water levels on the Great Lakes

BY: and - June 10, 2019

The North American Great Lakes contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface fresh water. In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second time in three years. These events coincide with persistent precipitation and severe flooding across much […]

Whitmer looks beyond Line 5 with new task force as Enbridge files suit

BY: - June 7, 2019

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has created a state task force to study other ways of delivering propane to Upper Peninsula residents without Line 5 after talks soured with Enbridge and a court battle looms. The Canadian oil company on Thursday announced plans to sue the state of Michigan amid a series of sharp-tongued statements. Whitmer wins […]

Enbridge announces lawsuit, Nessel responds: ‘We’ll see you in court’

BY: - June 6, 2019

Canadian oil company Enbridge announced Thursday that it will sue the state of Michigan in an effort to protect its development of a planned pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said in a statement that Enbridge “walked away from the negotiating table” by doing so, and that the governor […]

Whitmer aims for Monday tunnel deal as report shows human error caused Line 5 anchor strike

BY: - June 5, 2019

A ship anchor that damaged Enbridge’s Line 5 and separate transmission cables in the Straits of Mackinac caused more than $100 million worth of damage after a skeleton crew last spring unknowingly dragged an anchor from the Soo Locks almost as far as Indiana. The damage likely was caused by human error and mechanical failure, […]

Warren stumps for new ‘economic patriotism’ plan in Detroit, Lansing

BY: - June 4, 2019

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) appeared in Detroit and Lansing Tuesday as part of a presidential campaign swing through the Midwest in which she unveiled ambitious new plans to overhaul the nation’s economy — and attempt to save the planet from climate change in the process. As part of her plan for what she calls […]

Snyder slams ‘sloppy’ media reporting tied to Flint search warrants

BY: - June 4, 2019

Former Gov. Rick Snyder has kept a low profile since being term-limited out of office five months ago, but he weighed in on Tuesday night regarding search warrants signed two weeks ago related to the Flint water crisis. First in a tweet, Snyder said he was “dialing back the RPA [relentless positive action, his campaign […]

Inslee talks climate change, water shutoffs during Detroit visit

BY: - June 4, 2019

Presidential hopeful Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has described himself as the “climate candidate.” On Tuesday, he visited sections of Detroit during what was described by his team as a listening tour in two neighborhoods: Southwest Detroit and the historic North End. Both communities are largely residential, but have large industrial businesses, including a petroleum refinery […]

Snyder’s cell phone, iPad seized amid Flint water crisis investigation

BY: - June 3, 2019

Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office obtained and used search warrants to seize mobile devices used by GOP former Gov. Rick Snyder related to the ongoing Flint water crisis investigation. Nessel’s office released the warrants to the Michigan Advance Monday after the Associated Press first obtained them in an open records request. The warrants were signed […]

Whitmer administration eases solar farm restriction

BY: - June 3, 2019

Updated, 8:20 a.m., 6/5/19 Millions of acres of rural Michigan land could now become solar farms under a new state policy, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced Monday. Land that is currently eligible for tax benefits under the state’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program — about 3.4 million acres, in total — is now eligible […]

Gary Peters

Peters sponsors PFAS provisions in defense bill

BY: - May 31, 2019

A provision to decrease the amount of toxic chemicals at military sites has been added to the National Defense Bill, at the insistence of U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.). Peters’ office said last week that measures were added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to stop the Department of Defense (DoD) from buying […]

Enbridge offers new 2024 deadline for Great Lakes oil tunnel

BY: - May 30, 2019

After weeks of negotiations between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration and the Canadian oil company Enbridge, the latter has announced that it can complete construction on a planned buried oil pipeline within just five years. Enbridge originally estimated a seven-to-10-year construction period for its proposed $500 million oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac that would […]