Charged: Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his aide Rich Baird, former health department director Nick Lyon and several other city and state officials have been charged with 41 crimes related to the water crisis that exposed Flint residents to lead-tainted water and a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that killed 12 people. “Let me be clear, there are no velvet ropes in our criminal […]
Posted inAccountability
Detroit’s battle with climate change: Flooding, asthma, and infrastructure
While it may not see hurricanes or wildfires, climate change will present Detroiters with challenges. The solution? Building resilience with the basics. This past summer, Americans got a preview of the devastating effects of climate change. Wildfires burned through California, destroying 9,200 structures and over 4 million acres of forest. Yet another hurricane ripped across […]
Posted inUncategorized
From the Headlines
Democracy and the environment: The Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club made an unconventional choice for their “Environmentalist of the Year” by choosing Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “…Democracy is essential to environmental protection. Without it, we really can’t have citizen engagement,” said David Holtz, a member of the Sierra Club’s executive committee. Holtz said that Benson and […]
Posted inAccountability
How did a provision to allow hazardous materials across the Ambassador Bridge end up in a COVID relief bill?
Update: On December 29, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer passed the COVID relief bill, but issued a line-item veto for the measure to allow hazardous materials on the Ambassador Bridge. Whitmer was able to issue the veto on account of a line-item reduction in appropriations for the Michigan Department of Transportation, even though no funding was attached to […]
Posted inGuides
Ask Planet Detroit: Why was Detroit’s air so bad in December?
A couple of elevated readings in the air quality index looked concerning Dear Planet Detroit, The air quality index (AQI) in Detroit was elevated on Dec. 10 and 11, with readings of 155 and 120 AQI. What is the cause? Sincerely, Curious about what we’re breathing — Dear Curious, Lots of factors can contribute to […]
Posted inCommunity
Planet Detroit looks back at 2020
The year that was 2020 seemed to reveal — to a shocking degree — the structural injustices and ecological vulnerabilities that activists, researchers, and ordinary citizens have been trying to bring attention to for generations. 2020 was…a year. Like everyone else we’re still processing what the events of the past 12 months mean. But we […]
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From the Headlines
HAZMAT for Covid relief: A COVID-19 relief bill that passed the Michigan Legislature contains a controversial provision to allow hazardous materials to pass over the Ambassador Bridge, including: “flammable gases,” “poisonous gases,” “spontaneously combustible materials,” “dangerous when wet materials,” “poisonous materials” and “corrosive materials”. State Sen. Stephanie Chang penned an editorial against the measure, noting […]
Posted inSolutions
Solving Detroit’s most intractable environmental justice issues
Activists combine education, pressure, and the law to clean up communities and achieve environmental justice. Here’s a look at the tactics behind some of their wins and ongoing struggles. In July, Michigan regulators approved a nearly ten-fold expansion of a US Ecology hazardous waste storage facility in a largely low income neighborhood with a high […]
Posted inCommunity
These Detroit environmental nonprofits supported the community in a tough year. Now it’s your turn to support them.
While green education and action continued in 2020, priorities shifted to alleviating hunger, housing and job instability, utility burdens, and loss of childcare in environmental justice communities. When the pandemic hit Detroit last spring, environmental organizations pivoted to respond. Many threw away their work plans, they joined in efforts of mutual aid to help their […]
Posted inUncategorized
From the Headlines
Details, please: Following Detroit’s decision to issue a moratorium on water shutoffs through at least 2022, activists continue to suss out precisely what this means moving forward. “We’ll be looking for metrics and demonstrated codification of this commitment,” said Monica Lewis-Patrick, President and CEO of the water rights group We the People of Detroit. And former Detroit Director of Health Abdul El Sayed said […]