Planet Detroit senior reporter Brian Allnutt is the Michigan Press Association Foundation’s 2025 Richard Milliman Journalist of the Year for his environmental reporting and public accountability work in Southeast Michigan.
Posted inNews
Michigan environmental news: DTE ties future rate freeze to data centers
DTE Energy proposes a 7.6% rate increase but promised a two-year freeze if Oracle and Google data centers deliver revenue. Plus: Detroit Riverwalk reopens, toxic dirt scandal expands, and Michigan faces surge in Lyme disease cases.
Posted inDrinking Water
$10 million in water assistance funding advances in Michigan Senate: ‘Basic human need’
The Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a budget Thursday with $10 million for water assistance—double last year’s amount but far short of the $60 million advocates say is needed to address Michigan’s growing water affordability crisis.
Posted inCommunity
Students win Planet Detroit awards for environmental films
Three Michigan student films win Planet Detroit awards at the 58th Michigan Student Film Festival, exploring PFAS contamination, school sustainability, and native plants.
Posted inData Centers
Ypsilanti utility OKs 12-month ban on supplying water for data centers
The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority approves a 12-month moratorium on supplying water to data centers, blocking service to facilities including a planned $1.2-billion University of Michigan project.
Posted inVoices
VOICES: From cafeterias to climate action, Michigan schools can cut methane
Michigan schools threw away 16,000-plus tons of food in 2023. Student-led programs show how schools can cut methane emissions through food waste reduction.
Posted inNews
Detroit’s water affordability program at capacity
Detroit’s Lifeline H2O program, which reduces water bills to $34 a month for low-income residents, has stopped accepting applications after reaching capacity. The program is expected to reopen this summer.
Posted inNews
Detroit air quality gets another F from American Lung Association
Detroit’s air quality receives another F grade from American Lung Association, ranking among the nation’s worst for particle pollution.
Posted inNews
Detroit’s ozone status in focus Wednesday at Michigan regulatory hearing
Michigan regulators will hold a virtual hearing Wednesday on a proposal that could weaken air quality protections in Southeast Michigan, following a court ruling that found the EPA violated the Clean Air Act.
Planet Champion Partner
Meet the salamanders keeping watch over the Detroit River
For 15 years, Detroit Zoological Society researchers have monitored mudpuppies on Belle Isle — fully aquatic salamanders whose health reveals the condition of the Detroit River ecosystem. It’s part of a larger conservation program led by DZS that keeps tabs on threatened and special concern species across the Great Lakes Ecosystem.