Facing pushback and scrambling to complete his tunnel plan before leaving office, Michigan’s governor scraps plan to have bridge authority oversee project.
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
Flint finds replacing lead pipes isn’t easy. Even when state promises to pay
Momentum has stalled, costs are rising dramatically, and state officials are threatening to halt funding for efforts to replace all of Flint’s water lead pipes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan environment roundup: Climate change spells trouble for Midwest farmers
The latest can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan waited years to heed warnings on PFAS dangers, expert says
A DEQ veteran sounded alarms about threats to waters in 2010. Seven years later, Michigan took action. ‘I was at the edge of the abyss looking into hell,” scientist testifies.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Mackinac Bridge Authority in no hurry to consider Line 5 tunnel deal
On his way out of office, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder presents Line 5 tunnel deal to bridge authority members, drawing deep scrutiny.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Gretchen Whitmer and Dana Nessel vowed to shut Line 5. Now’s their chance
Halting Enbridge Energy’s oil pumping beneath the Straits of Mackinac was key promise in the Democratic campaigns of Michigan’s next governor and attorney general. Can they deliver?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lead levels drop in Michigan kids after Flint spike. But so does testing.
With map: After a one-year increase, blood lead levels are down again in Michigan. But is it because fewer people are getting tested now that the Flint water crisis has faded?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In Northern Michigan, tribes protesting Line 5 hunker down for winter
Representing Native Americans across Michigan and beyond, a small group of “water protectors” say they plan to camp out near the Straits of Mackinac until Enbridge Energy’s oil pipeline is shut down.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan tribes say Line 5 pipeline tunnel plan ignores treaty rights
Grand Traverse Band says ‘we were here first,’ but have been ‘pushed aside and treated as second-class people’ during debate and discussion about the controversial oil pipeline.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Great Lakes drownings peaked in 2018. And the year’s not over.
A safety advocacy group has tracked 728 Great Lakes drownings since 2010, including 105 in the first 10 months of 2018.