Overview:
-Water in some Detroit neighborhoods runs yellow after GLWA work.
-Joi Harris, first female CEO of DTE Energy, replaces Jerry Norcia Sept. 8.
-Public interest groups challenge how costs are spread from the continued operation of Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell coal plant in west Michigan.
🚰 Yellow water runs from Detroit taps after GLWA work Detroit residents across multiple neighborhoods are experiencing yellow-colored drinking water following a Great Lakes Water Authority system upgrade on Jefferson Avenue, WDIV reports. A Detroit News report said the water is clearing up and safe to drink as of Thursday, citing the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department’s public affairs director. GLWA conducted water tests and found no bacteria, the News report said. The affected areas include the Marina District, Belle Isle, and downtown. 📌 Source: WDIV
⛈️ Storms knock out power for 33,000-plus in Southeast Michigan Severe thunderstorms with 60 mph winds swept through Southeast Michigan Tuesday afternoon, leaving over 33,000 homes without power and causing widespread damage. The storms uprooted trees, and flooding closed highways including I-75, while downed power lines blocked Grand River Avenue. More stormy weather is forecast through Friday. 📌 Source: FOX 2 Detroit
🔌 DTE names Joi Harris as first female CEO Joi Harris will become DTE Energy’s president and CEO Sept. 8, making her the Detroit utility’s first female chief executive. The 34-year DTE veteran, who started as a high school co-op student, is currently president and COO. She led the $1 billion Blue Water Energy plant project and helped achieve 70% improvement in electric reliability. Harris succeeds Jerry Norcia, who became CEO IN 2019 and will transition to executive board chair. 📌 Source: The Detroit News
🏭 Cost allocation for Michigan coal plant extension faces challenge from consumer groups Public interest groups are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to limit who pays for keeping Consumer Energy’s J.H. Campbell coal plant operating beyond its planned retirement, Utility Dive reports. The Department of Energy ordered the 1,560-MW Michigan plant to run until Aug. 21 due to a declared energy emergency. The plant was scheduled to offline May 30. The groups challenging the payment mechanism argue that forcing Midcontinent Independent System Operator customers in multiple states to pay for a plant that doesn’t benefit them violates federal cost causation requirements, with no evidence of ratepayer benefits. 📌 Source: Utility Dive
👩🏿🍼 Trump administration cuts $3 million grant for Black maternal health study in Detroit Researchers lost federal funding for a study analyzing 1,000 births to Black mothers in Detroit to understand preterm birth causes. The National Institutes of Health terminated the $3 million grant in March, calling it a “DEI study” based on “artificial categories.” The Michigan State University-led project was examining how lifetime stressors affect gene function and birth outcomes. Black women face double the preterm birth risk of white women, with Detroit’s rate at 15.6%. 📌 Source: The Detroit News
🚨 Rural Michigan prison reopens as major ICE detention center The 1,800-bed North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin reopened June 16 as an ICE detention center, potentially becoming the Midwest’s largest such facility. Located in remote Lake County, the GEO Group-operated center could generate $70 million in profits for the prison company while creating hundreds of jobs in one of Michigan’s poorest counties. Immigration advocates say the isolated location limits transparency and family visits, while protesters gathered Saturday to oppose what they call inhumane treatment of detainees. 📌 Source: Bridge Michigan