Clean energy bills, aimed at combating climate change, are short on scientific research and dismissive of the rights of local residents and townships, making them deeply undemocratic.
Rural Michigan
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | In Michigan, clean energy and agriculture are allies, not enemies
Clean energy opponents seek to portray wind and solar projects as an attack on rural communities. That’s not true. Renewable energy sites are helping to save farmland so families can pass properties to future generations.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan Republicans to China: Stop buying our farms. Experts: Threat overblown
Worries about Chinese expansions into the U.S. food supply prompt legislation to bar ‘adversarial entities’ from buying farms in Michigan. Records show Chinese companies don’t own much land, but sponsor says ‘China will do whatever it takes to get a foot in the door.’
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan cows are nation's top milkers. Their secret: Good diets, clean living
Michigan ranks No. 1 in the country for producing the most milk per cow — and has been for the past few years.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan House committee advances wind, solar permitting bills
The bills would shift permitting authority over large wind and solar projects from local governments to the state. They have support from environmentalists, and opposition from local government advocates.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Hunting season in Michigan: What to know about licenses, seasons, limits
Michigan regulators have increased the number of deer hunters can kill in a season, but it’s still not enough to keep populations in check. Archery season is underway; firearms season starts Nov. 15.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Gone nearly a century, Michigan anglers can again catch Arctic grayling
Roughly 87 years since Arctic grayling were spotted in Michigan, the iridescent fish will soon be fishable in a handful of Upper Peninsula lakes. The state hopes to eventually build a self-sustaining population in the Lower Peninsula.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Proposed state oversight of solar, wind pits energy needs v. rural rights
Democratic bill sponsors say local fights over renewable energy threaten Michigan’s ability to meet climate goals and deliver reliable power. But Republican lawmakers say they fear rural communities will be railroaded by the green energy transition.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
In Michigan mental health crisis, a tug-of-war over too few social workers
Michigan schools, mental health agencies and hospitals fight over too few social workers. Could relaxed licensing, better pay help?
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.