Massive floods that caused $200 million damages in Midland were caused by the failure of a dam whose owners knew it was faulty a full decade earlier, a federal judge ruled Friday.
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
Climate change threatens fish in Michigan’s Great Lakes. Watch video
Global warming is the latest in a string of challenges to face the lakes in their young (geologically speaking) lives. More than 150 native fish species are at risk.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In warming Great Lakes, climate triage means some cold waters won’t be saved
Government officials begin the grim task of prioritizing which cold lakes and rivers to sacrifice — or save — as the climate changes. Not all cold-water loving fish may survive in the northern Great Lakes region.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Enbridge: Federal review of Line 5 tunnel permit is ‘inexplicably lethargic’
The Canadian energy giant pleads with Michigan officials to intervene, saying federal authorities are slow-walking their review of a key permit needed to build a tunnel in a pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
First came the floods. Then, the toxic mold. Get used to it with climate change
The majority of Detroit homes that flood face an equally insidious threat in the aftermath: black mold.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Clock ticks for water utilities to join national PFAS settlements
Decision needed soon for funds to remove toxic chemicals from drinking water.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Democrats seek to reverse Michigan’s ban-on-bans of plastic bags
Democrats took a step forward in their quest to abolish a controversial “ban on bans” of plastic bags. However, some are concerned that local measures could be costly.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Consumers Energy tells Michigan residents it needs partners to keep hydro dams
As Consumers Energy ponders the fate of its 13 hydropower dams, nearby residents push to keep them operational. But Consumers officials have said they won’t allow customers to absorb the $781 million cost of doing so.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Climate change is harming Michigan hunting and fishing, groups warn lawmakers
Michigan’s wild places — and the fish and wildlife that call them home — are under threat as warmer temperatures cause species to migrate northward and rivers to overheat. Advocates called for more resources to protect Michigan’s fish and game from those changes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As automakers win incentives for EV plants, Michigan pays for polluted past
The auto industry is getting billions to build battery plants on rural land, while taxpayers pay for contaminated plants left behind. Will history repeat itself? Or will Michigan forge a new path?