A bipartisan group in the state House wants to boost Michigan’s weak dam safety standards while requiring owners to prove they can afford to maintain their dams.
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
Enbridge, Line 5 foes argue tunnel plan before Michigan Supreme Court
The court will soon decide whether state regulators acted properly when they granted key permits for the proposed Line 5 tunnel. It’s one of several imminent decisions that could decide the fate of the controversial oil pipeline in the Great Lakes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
A Wisconsin whitefish refuge offers lessons for Michigan. But will it last?
Once considered too polluted for whitefish to thrive, southern Green Bay has suddenly become the only place in Lake Michigan where the fish aren’t collapsing. What can Michigan learn from its success? And will it last?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Ice shanties & ear stones: A day in Lake Michigan’s last whitefish stronghold
Photos from southern Green Bay’s world-class ice fishing scene help tell the story of ongoing efforts to protect the iconic Great Lakes whitefish.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Consumers warns Michigan: Dams could be torn down unless utility sells them
Critics warn the deal lacks safeguards to protect ratepayers and the public. But utility officials said they’d sooner decommission the dams than negotiate new terms.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan, Enbridge battle over Line 5 pipeline before US Supreme Court
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s yearslong lawsuit to shut down the pipeline could come down to how the Supreme Court interprets a 30-day procedural deadline that Enbridge failed to meet.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan county’s argument against solar farms? They’re a health hazard
St. Clair County plans to appeal a judge’s decision striking down the county’s attempt to use health policies as a way to regulate large-scale renewable and battery storage projects.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
It’s not just Palisades: Great Lakes water fuels a regional nuclear revival
Restarting an aging reactor and building next-generation modular plants on the shores of the world’s largest freshwater system.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Trump cancels federal climate regulations. Here’s what it means for Michigan
Despite scientific consensus on the harms posed by climate change, the administration no longer views greenhouse gases as harmful to public health. That sets the stage to stop regulating them.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
The energy boom is coming for Great Lakes water. Is Michigan ready?
How the region powers its growth will determine the future of the Great Lakes.