Michigan House Republicans want to make it easier for farmers to withdraw large quantities of groundwater— and exempt water use data from public view. The bill, if passed, could also benefit Nestlé.
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
Effort afoot to keep Michigan lawmakers’ hands off cash for public lands
Lawmakers are eying big changes to the Natural Resources Trust Fund, which has invested more than $1 billion for protecting, expanding and developing public lands in every Michigan county.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
See how drilling has funded land and parks in Michigan
Since 1976, more than $1 billion from gas and oil royalties have helped fund public lands projects throughout Michigan. Use this database to find projects near you.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Slideshow: Explore projects funded by Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund
From Detroit to the Upper Peninsula, the fund has paid to acquire land in every Michigan county.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan environment roundup: Canadian trash, solar squabbles, nuclear history
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Coal is dead. A Michigan town is at center of battle over what’s next.
Once a dominant fuel in Michigan, coal-fired power is fading fast, with major implications for air quality and the communities that rely on them for jobs. A squabble over a proposed $1 billion natural gas plant in St. Clair County illustrates a broader debate about what comes next.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Here’s where Michigan governor candidates stand on funding toxic cleanups
Bridge Magazine asked eight candidates — four Republicans and four Democrats — about how to pay to clean 7,300 toxic sites across Michigan
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environmental Roundup: Toxic vapors, Great Lakes sanctuary, Legionnaires’ outbreak.
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Senator wants to defang the ‘radical’ Michigan DEQ. He just may do so.
Powerful Sen. Tom Casperson wants to give industry the power to override decisions from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which he says pushes a “radical left-wing agenda.”
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environmental Roundup: Ice jams, Lake Michigan and shipwrecks
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.