By RACHEL DUCKETTCapital News Service LANSING – In 2019, Michigan State University alum Tremaine Phillips was appointed to the three-member Public Service Commission, making him one of the country’s youngest public service commissioners at age 33. The commission’s mission is to “serve the public by ensuring safe, reliable and accessible energy and telecommunications services at […]
Posted inCommunity
Metro Detroit aquarium an ark for Florida corals
By HANNAH BROCKCapital News Service LANSING – In a small back room of an aquarium in a Detroit-area suburban mall lies a tank of endangered corals native to places more than a thousand miles away. Michigan’s Sea Life Aquarium in Auburn Hills is one of several teams across the U.S. hosting corals rescued from a […]
Posted inAccountability
Would DTE Energy fees kill rooftop solar in Michigan?
CO2 2022/2021 417.64 ppm / 417.31 ppm Did you have a chance to take our Michigan Climate News Reader Survey? We want to hear from you! What topics are you counting on Michigan Climate news to cover in 2022? TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! Killing solar: DTE Energy’s proposed fees for rooftop solar could effectively […]
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Scientists take to the ice to study winter climate impact on the Great Lakes
CO2 2022/2021 418.78 ppm / 419.45 ppm Did you have a chance to take our Michigan Climate News Reader Survey? We want to hear from you! What topics are you counting on Michigan Climate news to cover in 2022? TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! One more month: Michiganders have one more month to comment on […]
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From the Headlines — February 7-11, 2022
Flood control? Detroit homeowners in 11 neighborhoods can now apply for help to install backwater valves and sump pumps in their homes to prevent basement flooding. The Basement Backup Protection Program will use $15 million received through the American Rescue Plan to pay for the program, requiring a 10% deposit from homeowners. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan to invest […]
Posted inVoices
OPINION: Whitmer should consider E-bike incentives to achieve Michigan climate goals equitably
We certainly applaud Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s call to action on addressing climate change through reductions in carbon emissions – especially in the transportation sector. However, reducing emissions solely through electric vehicles (EVs) is not going to get our state to carbon neutrality. The state needs a comprehensive approach that also invests in the other, more […]
Posted inAccountability
Want to catch fish on Lake St. Clair? Head to Canada, study says
If you want to catch a fish in Lake St. Clair, your odds are better in Canadian waters, according to a new study of catch rates on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the lake. The first-ever binational Lake St. Clair-wide small fish survey was conducted in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, […]
Posted inAccountability
Is ‘renewable natural gas’ a real option to power Michigan? Consultant with ties to DTE and Consumers hired by regulators to help decide
This story was produced in partnership with Outlier Media. State regulators have hired a consulting firm with financial ties to DTE Energy and Consumers Energy to assess whether Michigan should scale up production of renewable natural gas, a controversial fuel of questionable economic and environmental value. Renewable natural gas (RNG), or biogas, is touted by […]
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From the Headlines — January 31 – February 4, 2022
More than lead: A number of harmful chemicals like PFAS compounds and pesticides are showing up in Metro Detroit drinking water, according to a searchable database put together by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Many of these are considered safe to consume in small quantities, although EWG says the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations for drinking water are “out of […]
Posted inSolutions
Camden, Newark, & Baltimore lead in building equitable access to urban tree canopy
Sheila Roberts recalls walking through Cooper Plaza, the Camden, N.J. neighborhood she calls home in 2002, noticing something unusual: a newly planted, tree-lined street. “Immediately upon looking at the street, I didn’t notice the trash. I didn’t notice the graffiti. And I didn’t notice how unkempt the street was,” Roberts says. “And it was because […]