The plan, which comes two months before the day Whitmer has said Enbridge Energy must stop transporting petroleum through Line 5, outlines investing in rail and storage, incentivizing energy efficiency, and taking other steps to offset the loss of Line 5.
Kelly House
Kelly House covers Michigan environmental issues for Bridge. She joined the Bridge staff in March 2020. Previously, Kelly reported for the Oregonian, where her coverage of the environment and other topics garnered national honors and sparked state efforts to better protect Oregon’s natural resources. She has a master’s degree in environmental law from Lewis & Clark Law School and a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University. She is from Harrison and lives in Lansing. You can reach her at khouse@bridgemi.com or on Twitter at @Kelly_M_House.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Too few farmers are curbing pollution in Lake Erie. Should they be forced?
As climate change complicates Lake Erie’s algae problem, scientists say farmers must do far more to reduce phosphorus runoff. But will enough farmers change their ways without a government mandate?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Should Michigan hunt wolves, cranes, moose? Republican lawmakers think so.
State and federal parks and species managers said they don’t plan to act on a flurry of legislative resolutions calling for new hunting seasons targeting gray wolves, sandhill cranes and Isle Royale moose.
Posted inMichigan Government
U.S. ‘incompetency’ led to Edenville Dam failure, couple claims in lawsuit
Dan and Cathy Allen, whose home was severely damaged by floodwaters following the Edenville Dam collapse in May, say federal regulators should have made sure the dam’s owner could pay to fix the dam before granting it a license.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan dams need ‘immediate attention’ to prevent next failure
In a report detailing 86 recommendations designed to improve dam safety in Michigan, members of a state task force focused on changes to state law and policy, along with funding fixes to prevent future dam failures like the Edenville break in May.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan is no Texas, but it has grid reliability issues of its own
Michigan’s electricity sector is more prepared for extreme cold and is connected to a regional grid that increases its resilience. But experts say it remains vulnerable to extreme weather events that will become more common as the climate changes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
PFAS is in fish and wildlife. Researchers prowl Michigan for clues.
Years into Michigan’s PFAS contamination crisis, little is known about how the chemicals affect the fish and wildlife that live in tainted environments. Michigan has become a laboratory for answers.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Invasive mussels now control key Great Lakes nutrients, threatening fish
Three decades since the first quagga mussels appeared in the Great Lakes, the invasive bivalves have become so prolific, they control a key nutrient that sustains aquatic life.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Long odds, short season: Michigan sturgeon a zany conservation success
Ice fishers carrying spears converged on Black Lake Saturday for what amounted to a two-hour fishing season. It’s part of a creative recovery effort that’s helping to bring the state’s sturgeon population back from the brink.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan is on thin ice. Get used to it, climate experts say.
The Great Lakes Ice cover is near record lows and expected to remain low through winter. Climatologists say unless society acts now, the warming trend will leave some bays ice-free by midcentury, threatening key ecosystems and the state’s $2.3 billion recreational fishing industry.