Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is seeking court order to decommission Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac, citing a “continual threat of grave harm” to the Great Lakes. Separately, she’s seeking to dismiss an Enbridge lawsuit to uphold an agreement to bury the pipelines in a bedrock tunnel.
Michigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environment Watch examines how public policy, industry, and other factors interact with the state’s trove of natural resources.
Great Lakes News Collaborative
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, The Narwhal and Michigan Public work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. You can find all of the collaborative’s stories here.
Shockwave
The Great Lakes region is in the midst of a seismic energy shakeup, from skyrocketing data center demand and a nuclear energy boom, to expanding renewables and electrification. In 2026, the Great Lakes News Collaborative will explore how shifting supply and demand affect the region and its waters. Read the series here.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan congresswoman pushes national plan to fix recycling woes
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, co-sponsored a budget amendment that would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to draw up a plan to boost recycling nationwide. The legislation has cleared the House.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Commercial fishing is sinking fast in Michigan. Time for more regulations?
Sportfishing is booming in Michigan, while fewer than two dozen commercial businesses tie their livelihoods to the Great Lakes. The industry has a rich heritage, but some say it’s time to ‘pull the plug on the horse and carriage industry.’
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Invasive mussels challenge commercial whitefish fishing in the Great Lakes
The spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels in the Great Lakes has wreaked havoc on Great Lakes food chains. They may be behind a startling decline in whitefish, the most valuable stock for fishermen.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Surging Great Lakes threaten Michigan’s beloved Fishtown
Heavy rains are taking a toll on the collection of fishing shanties in the Leelanau Peninsula, eroding some buildings and flooding others. That’s accelerating a fundraising effort to preserve the buildings.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan environment roundup: Asian carp move closer to the Great Lakes
The latest can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Report: Tug dragged 6-ton anchor for days after denting Line 5 pipeline
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says new federal report detailing anchor strike shows ‘all of the enforcement mechanisms in the world won’t prevent a tragedy.’
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Surging Great Lakes water levels shrink beaches, flood docks in Michigan
A few years after record lows, Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Superior broke records for average water heights in May
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Opinion | Climate change drives shifts between high, low Great Lakes water levels
Great Lakes are in ‘uncharted territory,’ as climate change prompts sudden lurches in water levels, two University of Michigan professors write.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
The debate is on: Will wolves move to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula?
More than 500 wolves live in the Upper Peninsula, but some scientists are split about whether they will return to the Northern Lower Peninsula