In testimony to state regulators who will decide whether to approve the sale, experts questioned Consumers Energy’s financial math and raised concerns that new owners could stick the public with repair or removal costs.
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
A Michigan dairy CAFO clash over manure digesters and clean water
A proposed dairy CAFO in mid-Michigan is fueling a heated fight over clean water, manure pollution and the future of industrial farming — as supporters tout jobs and renewable energy, and critics warn local rivers are already overwhelmed.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
This plant invaded Michigan with ‘chemical warfare.’ Can beetles defeat it?
State regulators are considering allowing landowners to unleash imported beetles to kill off spotted knapweed, one of the state’s most prolific invaders. Beekeepers may not like that.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Ice grips Great Lakes, with Erie nearly fully covered
About 95% percent of Lake Erie is covered in ice, and even half of Lake Superior is too. Bitter cold temperatures have spurred major ice coverage across the Great Lakes, but warmer weather is coming.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Feds take another step toward decision on Line 5 tunnel
The US Army Corps released an environmental review Friday that is the last step toward issuing key permits for the Line 5 tunnel.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan lawmakers take up ‘critically important’ data center debate
A House oversight committee plans to spend the next several weeks taking testimony on the risks posed by Big Tech’s foray into Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Data center moratoriums pile up in Michigan. No one knows if they’ll work
No fewer than 19 communities have paused data center development, while bipartisan lawmakers push to repeal policies that have lured the industry to Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Scientists trying to solve mystery of ‘rock snot’ in Michigan streams
Didymo — also called ‘rock snot’ because of its appearance — suddenly bloomed in Michigan streams in recent years, and scientists don’t really know why.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Hundreds of miles of new transmission lines planned in Michigan
Michigan’s largest transmission company wants to build more than 350 miles of new high-voltage power lines across the Lower Peninsula in the coming years, starting with a 50-mile segment near Lansing. Company officials tout more reliable and cheaper energy, but neighbors are wary.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan AG Nessel sues big oil over ‘cartel’-like plot to kill clean energy
In a lawsuit expected to be filed today, Nessel alleges some of the world’s largest oil companies colluded to suppress the development of EVs and clean energy to keep Americans reliant on fossil fuels.