The $50 million grant to the proposed UP mine drew angry shouts from opponents. Lawmakers also authorized money for an Ypsilanti supercomputing center, a Redford Township diesel engine maker, and Dow Chemical.
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
Michigan eyes hunting, fishing, boating fee increases, change to park fees
Democrats want to raise some fees by 50% or more and switch to an ‘opt-out’ model for recreation passports. The state says costs haven’t kept up with inflation.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Move over, coal-mine canaries: Michigan study says robins can predict soil lead
A new study in the journal “Urban Ecosystems” found that high blood lead levels in robins can accurately predict where soil is contaminated.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Inside the fight to keep invasive grass carp out of the Great Lakes
The US and Canada are working together to stop a massive fish from gobbling up Great Lakes greenery.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s controversial wind, solar energy law is in effect. What to know
The law aims to counter local pushback that is slowing efforts to replace fossil fuel power with green energy. But it faces challenges. Here’s what to know.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Deep in the UP, an abandoned mine could offer hope for green energy fights
Michigan’s transition to green energy is plagued by fights over placing wind and solar arrays on farmland and forests. But fewer balked over plans to build a green energy plant on abandoned industrial land.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Great Lakes hold clues to climate change. Send in the robots, feds say
As climate change increasingly shapes the Great Lakes region’s ecology and economy, scientists plan to use underwater robots to gather previously inaccessible data they say will help communities adapt.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Once near extinction, lake trout are officially recovered in Lake Superior
A binational group of fisheries experts made the declaration Wednesday, after seven decades of effort to recover the fish from a collapse caused by invasive species and overfishing.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Local governments take aim at Michigan’s wind, solar law in new lawsuit
More than 70 townships and counties challenge how Michigan went about implementing a new law allowing the state to overrule local authorities on siting big energy projects.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
UP mine sees recycling as path to more EV minerals and a greener image
At the Eagle Mine in Marquette County, a $145 million federal grant-funded project promises to turn dangerous mining waste into valuable metals and chemicals. Proponents hope it signals a new era of cleaner, more efficient mining. But some are skeptical.