For six years, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Enbridge have been fighting over which court should rule on a lawsuit Nessel filed in 2019. The lawsuit seeks to shut down the petroleum pipeline that runs in the open water of the Great Lakes.
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
Great Lakes scientists discover new lifeform microbe, name it ShipGoo1
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth found the previously-undiscovered microorganisms hiding in the tar-like goo oozing out of a research vessel’s rudder shaft.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan EV registrations jump, but still far from Whitmer’s 2 million goal
Electric vehicle registrations doubled in Michigan over the past two years. But the 85,666 registrations are still a fraction of the 2 million EVs Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hopes to see by 2030.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As GOP targets Michigan DNR, Ted Nugent blasts agency’s ‘insane’ regulations
The rocker turned conservative activist appeared before Michigan House committees as the chamber’s Republican leaders push to change state policies governing fish and wildlife management.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan coal plant’s future unclear as some wonder if feds will keep it open
The Trump administration’s emergency order keeping a Michigan coal power plant open is generating optimism from some Republicans and angst from environmentalists. Both camps wonder just how long the plant stays open — and if others are next.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Years after high water crisis, lax policies leave Michigan coast vulnerable
Extreme erosion along the Great Lakes coasts grabbed lawmakers’ attention and inspired proposals to pull development back from the shoreline. Five years later, regulatory gaps still leave some communities more vulnerable than others.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Iconic whitefish on edge of collapse as Great Lakes biodiversity crisis deepens
Few fish are as synonymous with Michigan as whitefish. Pushed to the edge by invasive species, their struggle is the tip of a cataclysmic species collapse that could change our way of life.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
What’s more Michigan than whitefish? Collapse erodes bit of state’s identity
Michigan has rhapsodized about the hardy fish for centuries. Celebrations continue, but they are taking on a melancholy tone for the fish ‘synonymous with Great Lakes living.’
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
It’s not just whitefish: 407 Michigan species on brink amid historic die-off
Globally, 1 million species are on the brink of extinction. Experts say to avoid further losses, society must begin to prioritize the planet’s long-term health over near-term convenience and profits.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
What are your whitefish memories, Michigan? Beloved fish on the brink
The Great Lakes survivors are vanishing before our eyes. What do they mean to your family? Let Bridge know.