Michiganders returned less than three-quarters of their 10-cent bottle deposits last year, the lowest redemption rate on record. In all, $116 million went unreturned. A ballot measure may be in the works.
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
New PFAS guidelines spark more ‘do not eat’ warnings for Michigan fish
Anglers are warned not to eat their catch from 98 Michigan waterbodies, up from 33 last year, after state officials revised their health guidance in light of growing evidence that PFAS is more toxic than previously thought.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
US officials release Line 5 environmental review; conclude project is needed
The review considered impacts of the Line 5 project along with several alternatives. It’s the first major step toward a permitting decision expected this fall.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Great Lakes slightly colder than usual ahead of summer
As May’s cooler temperatures give way to summertime warmth in Michigan, the Great Lakes are slightly cooler than usual but warming. But where are Michigan’s warmest waters?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
A hard-fought milestone for Flint’s water, but uncertainty ahead
After years of delays, Flint is nearly done replacing the city’s lead-containing water pipes. But residents and activists aren’t sure they can celebrate yet.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Despite US research resistance, Great Lakes aims to be Silicon Valley for water
Unlike Silicon Valley’s ascent, which was significantly bolstered by steady public research funding—federal investment, for instance, paid 25 percent of the cost of developing the transistor—Great Lakes blue economy development is taking shape in an era of resistance to US government research outlays.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Thunder Bay is bringing its Great Lake shoreline back
Thunder Bay’s shoreline has seen decades of pollution, but an agreement between Canada and the U.S. has seen massive investments of time and money to clean it up.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s fight against Lake Erie pollution didn’t work. What happens next?
Michigan, Ohio and Ontario failed to reduce the total phosphorus entering Lake Erie in 10 years. State officials and environmentalists are butting heads on where to go from here.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Are data centers a threat to the Great Lakes?
One of the poorest cities in Michigan has a proposed $3 billion data center as a potential lifeline — but environmentalists and locals warn of high costs to water, climate and community.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Safe for Michigan farms or poison? Battle intensifies over future of Roundup
With the election of President Donald Trump, the conflict over glyphosate’s risks and benefits entered a new realm of confrontation that has the potential to alter its stature as the favored chemical tool in agriculture, the largest user of fresh water in the blue economy of Michigan and the Great Lakes.