Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics says he government is “pretty tone deaf” for ending its recommendation while the country is at the beginning of a severe flu season, and after 280 children died from flu last winter, the most since 2009.
Posted inNews
Detroit gathering focuses on role of environmental justice in Michigan’s climate work
The engagement session aims to address community needs and the bigger climate picture, says Regina Strong, the state’s environmental justice public advocate.
Posted inVoices
VOICES: In Detroit’s data center moment, lead with health, water, and trust
As data centers are developed in metro Detroit, state and city leaders must emphasize public health, says Kathleen Slonager, executive director of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America – Michigan Chapter.
Posted inData Centers
‘Erosion of trust’: Michigan legislators push back on flood of data center proposals
Legislation unlikely to advance without ballot measure to rein in DTE and Consumers’ influence over the political process, environmental advocate says.
Posted inData Centers
Data center energy needs: A looming challenge for US power grid
As data centers rise, so does their electricity demand, yet the uncertainty of their actual usage complicates utility planning. This leaves communities grappling with who bears the cost of either surplus capacity or heightened energy prices.
Posted inNews
Crisis and resilience: Here’s what Planet Detroit is covering in 2026
A convergence of crises are on the horizon in Michigan: a rapidly changing climate hammering communities with flooding and extreme heat, a federal government dismantling environmental protections, and local struggles over water, power, and pollution that will determine the health of generations to come. As the Trump administration guts the federal government’s environmental and climate […]
Posted inNews
Looking back on 2025: A year of reckoning for Michigan’s environment
We won’t sugarcoat it. 2025 was tough: for Michigan communities facing down data centers, bursting pipes, drinking water threats, flooding and industrial pollution, and for our small newsroom working to cover it all. Despite the challenges, 2025 reinforced why independent environmental journalism matters. We produced groundbreaking work on data centers before it was mainstream. We […]
Posted inData Centers
Data center news: Feds request rules on data centers colocated with gas, nuclear power plants
The request to PJM Interconnection, an electric grid operator in the eastern U.S., is a “major victory” for companies like Constellation Energy and Vistra.
Posted inCommunity
VOICES: Why Michigan’s data center fight is really about who gets to decide
In Saline Township, residents voiced concerns over a data center project, citing risks to water, energy, and pollution. Despite their engagement, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved the project, risking failure in public trust.
Posted inData Centers
Data center is threat to Saline River, residents say in wetlands hearing
Pollution from closed-loop cooling systems, wetland destruction are among the issues aired at EGLE hearing on Oracle, OpenAI data center’s wetland permit.