Michigan lawmakers made sweeping changes to Michigan energy laws last fall. But plenty of items missed the cut, from community solar to finding solutions for Michigan’s outage-prone power grid.
Michigan climate change
Posted inTalent & Education
Clean-powered buses on the way for Michigan schools, fueled by grants
Over $5 million was awarded to three school districts, Detroit, Lansing and Pontiac to purchase clean-school buses that have little to no carbon emissions.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Group launches campaign to overturn Michigan solar siting law
Opponents of the new law, which stripped away local permitting control over large wind and solar projects, are pushing a ballot initiative that would ask voters in November to overturn the law.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Upper Peninsula dog sled and ski races in peril from higher temps, no snow
Less than one percent of the Great Lakes is currently covered by ice, a steep drop from historic levels. Climate change experts have been warning of its impacts for years, and this year we have El Niño as well.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan has a new way to fight climate change: Energy from cow poop and urine
Amid a push toward renewable energy in Michigan, taxpayers are subsidizing technology to turn animal feces into fuel. Opponents say it further subsidizes the growth of an industry responsible for widespread water pollution problems.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Five reasons why Michigan deer herds are surging: hunting declines are just one
Declining hunting participation isn’t the only reason deer populations are skyrocketing. Blame suburban sprawl, a lack of hunting land in southern Michigan, a century-worth of predator suppression and the newer threat of climate change.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan utilities explore longer-term funding to address extreme weather
DTE Energy and Consumers Energy say their systems are more reliable after severe outages this year. But with extreme weather increasing from climate change, they’re looking at additional funding options such as customer surcharges or bonds.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan farm czar: Our fight against Lake Erie pollution isn't working
Ahead of a gathering to assess the health of Lake Erie, the state acknowledges it won’t meet a 2025 deadline to cut phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie by 40 percent. The goal is to protect Lake Erie and Michigan’s small farms.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan EV drivers shouldn’t bear outsized cost to pay for roads
The transition to electric vehicles means we can’t continue to rely so heavily on gas taxes to pay for roads. But EV owners already pay more than their fair share. A mileage-based system, with some caveats, is a fairer path forward.
Posted inMichigan Government
Whitmer signs energy bills to make Michigan use clean energy by 2040
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed clean energy bills in Detroit on Tuesday that aim to meet the goal of making the state 100 percent reliant on clean energy by midcentury.