Environment
Democrats: Chatfield’s remarks on Whitmer, Nessel show he’s ‘intimidated by powerful women’
Updated 4:44 p.m. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes on Wednesday accused state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) of being “intimidated by powerful women” in making “sexist remarks” about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel’s handling of the Line 5 tunnel issue. “If [Chatfield] wants to use science as the excuse for his […]
Judge allows Flint water class-action lawsuit to proceed, adds Snyder back as defendant
A federal judge issued a court order Monday allowing a class-action lawsuit over the Flint water crisis to proceed and reinstated former Gov. Rick Snyder as a defendant. U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy said in Carthan v. Snyder that new evidence shows Snyder was aware of the health risks associated with drinking Flint River […]
Court battle looms after Whitmer, Nessel stall Enbridge pipeline
Top state officials may end up in court over their efforts to halt Canadian energy company’s plans to build a new buried pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, according to Republican leaders in the Legislature. In an interview Monday morning, state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) called a recent opinion from Attorney General Dana Nessel […]
Ojeda is looking for ‘Real Democrats’ in Michigan — and across the country
Richard Ojeda is angry. Actually, he’s “pissed off,” and he thinks you should be, too. The retired Army major and former West Virginia state senator — as well as, for a fleeting moment, Democratic presidential candidate — is in Grand Rapids this week to headline the Democratic counter-programming to President Donald Trump’s rally Thursday. And […]
Trump promises $300M for Great Lakes, otherwise mostly rambles
President Donald Trump, his son, Donald Trump Jr., and prominent Michigan Republicans took a victory lap on Thursday after what they view as a “pretty good week.” In a rambling, 80-minute speech before a capacity crowd of more than 10,000 at the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids, the president voiced his satisfaction about […]
Shirkey ‘reviewing options’ after AG’s Line 5 opinion
Updated, 8:42 p.m., with Chatfield’s comments Republican leaders are considering their options — and some are vowing action — as Michigan’s attorney general and governor attempt to halt construction of a new Enbridge oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. On Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Dana Nessel issued her first opinion that a 2018 Lame […]
Senators decry Trump administration’s ‘lack of urgency’ on PFAS
WASHINGTON — The President Trump administration has failed to act swiftly enough to protect the public from harmful contaminants present in drinking water throughout the country, U.S. senators told senior administration officials Thursday. Democrats and Republicans alike expressed frustration over the federal government’s response to the widespread drinking water contamination by chemicals known as per- […]
Nessel finds Lame Duck pipeline authority law unconstitutional
Updated, 8:38 p.m. with Enbridge’s comments. A law that created a new political body allowing Enbridge to go forward with plans to build a pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac is unconstitutional, Attorney General Dana Nessel argued in an opinion issued Thursday. The Democrat’s first legal opinion as attorney general argued that the content of […]
Lansing smokestacks ‘iconic,’ but city moves to cleaner power
Updated and corrected, 9:10 p.m. 3/29/19. Lansing’s famous smokestacks may have become an enduring part of the city’s legacy and branding, but they are fated to the dustbin of industrial legacy — and the fetish made of them by city leaders and entrepreneurs. A new $61,000* city branding campaign features the three smokestacks as a […]
Whitmer orders new standard for PFAS in water supply
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to establish a new standard for the maximum amount of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, that may be present in the state’s water supply. “Michigan will begin the process to establish PFAS drinking water standards that protect public health and the environment,” […]
What’s next for Enbridge Line 5? It may come down to Nessel
Updated, 12:34 p.m. 3/26/19 and 9:21 p.m. 3/29/19. For years, environmentalists have called to shut down a 66-year-old oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. What happens next may be determined by an upcoming legal opinion from the state’s new attorney general. Attorney General Dana Nessel is expected to soon release a legal opinion on […]
Dingell, Huizenga, Stabenow to lead Great Lakes task force
Three members of Michigan’s congressional delegation will lead a bipartisan group of federal legislators advocating for policies that aid the Great Lakes. U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland), as well as U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), will serve as co-chairs of the Great Lakes Water Task Force, according to a statement. They […]