Hoping to entice drivers into electric vehicles, the government is spending mightily to build EV charging stations across Michigan. But high costs mean the money won’t go far.
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
EV transition a slow go in Michigan. It needs 100,000 chargers, has 3,300
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants 2 million electric vehicles on Michigan roads by 2030. But to make sure they all have a place to refuel, Michigan may need to install about 47 chargers a day, every day, for the next six years.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Wind, solar farm law won’t make November ballot in Michigan
The group Citizens for Local Choice wanted to give voters the chance to overturn a Michigan law that puts the state in charge of permitting large wind and solar arrays. But it has not collected enough signatures to be on the November ballot.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Birds in Great Lakes, elsewhere in peril: ‘We need to pay attention’
Bird populations are declining at alarming rates due to disease, pollution and habitat loss. That should be a warning to all of us.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In warming Great Lakes region, water, heat can be an unhealthy combination
From mosquitoes to sewer overflows, the heat and moisture of a changing climate are creating new health threats in the Great Lakes region, prompting a call to educate residents and doctors about the risks.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Robots at work cleaning trash from Michigan beaches
Detroit joins several communities across the state and nationwide that host BeBot, a robot that can pick up plastic and other trash buried a few inches deep in the sand.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lake Michigan beach goes high-tech to curb drownings from rip tides
A new electronic beach safety system at Grand Haven State Park automatically calls 911 in an emergency. It’s the latest attempt to prevent Great Lakes drownings that claim dozens of lives each year.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Return of bald eagles to the Great Lakes could hold lessons for humans
The pesticide DDT nearly wiped out North America’s bald eagles. Communities, scientists and politicians worked hard to bring this symbolic bird back from the brink. Efforts to save the species hold lessons for other environmental challenges.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Detroit's approval of concrete mixing plant questioned
It’s the latest example of the city allowing special dispensations for heavy industry operations nestled in majority-Black neighborhoods.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Toxic Great Lakes algae makes Michigan sick. But remedy may be near
Growing concern over health risks posed by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie prompts scientists to study a potential treatment found in an unlikely place: the lake.