The $50 million grant to the proposed UP mine drew angry shouts from opponents. Lawmakers also authorized money for an Ypsilanti supercomputing center, a Redford Township diesel engine maker, and Dow Chemical.
Upper Peninsula
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan eyes hunting, fishing, boating fee increases, change to park fees
Democrats want to raise some fees by 50% or more and switch to an ‘opt-out’ model for recreation passports. The state says costs haven’t kept up with inflation.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan ski resorts see surge in reservations after two years of little snow
After two years of drought-like conditions in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, ski resorts are starting to see things turn around.
Posted inTalent & Education
Broadband internet still lags in rural Michigan; new program links 30k homes
Michigan is 31st nationwide for broadband access, with 1 in 10 residents lacking access. Slowly but surely, though, it is spreading across rural Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan's rural population is shrinking. Will UP lose political clout?
With fewer births and more deaths, the state’s overall population is expected to begin decreasing in the next 10 years. These trends are especially pronounced in the Upper Peninsula and other rural areas.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Deep in the UP, an abandoned mine could offer hope for green energy fights
Michigan’s transition to green energy is plagued by fights over placing wind and solar arrays on farmland and forests. But fewer balked over plans to build a green energy plant on abandoned industrial land.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
UP mine sees recycling as path to more EV minerals and a greener image
At the Eagle Mine in Marquette County, a $145 million federal grant-funded project promises to turn dangerous mining waste into valuable metals and chemicals. Proponents hope it signals a new era of cleaner, more efficient mining. But some are skeptical.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan deer hunt: Why rifle season won’t dent populations & other questions
The season starts Friday. You asked, we answered: Why isn’t year-round hunting? Why are deer so numerous even with so many hunters? What about a commercial hunt?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan festivals adapt as warming winters upend traditions
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting “warmer-than-average” temperatures for parts of the Great Lakes, winter festivals from Metro Detroit to the Western Upper Peninsula are preparing to adapt.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Amid Upper Peninsula mining rush, tribe is still living with past pollution
A $2 billion plan to clean up century-old mining waste illustrates how tribes have been uniquely impacted by mining pollution, and why some are skeptical of new mine proposals.