Pregnant people across the country lack access to safe drinking water. Grassroots organizations are stepping in when government can’t deliver. Sarah Sloat January 5, 2023 When Jamika Jones was pregnant with her son earlier this year, her mother worried about her drinking water from the tap. Jones lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where more than a […]
Posted inUncategorized
What you need to know this week – 1/13/23
Water shutoffs are back: Detroit’s water shutoff moratorium has been lifted, meaning tens of thousands of households could face shutoff notices for non-payment. Officials have said that households will not face a shutoff if they enroll in its new water affordability plan, called Lifeline, which caps water bills to $18 a month and helps customers pay off […]
Posted inCommunity
Parks summit convenes coalition to band together for a greener city
Attendees shared knowledge and lessons learned from projects to activate public spaces across the city.
Posted inAccountability
State regulators quash DTE proposal to encourage customers to pre-pay their electric bills
DTE positioned its pre-pay program as a way to help low-income customers manage their utility bills. Advocates said it would have eliminated customer shut-off protections. State regulators have rejected a DTE Electric plan to develop a prepay program that the company said would simplify the billing process, but critics say it seemed designed to skirt […]
Posted inCommunity
New EPA rule means cleaner trucks are coming. Will it be enough to help Southwest Detroit?
Even if trucks emit less pollution, changes could take years to make a difference. Some residents want the city to address issues like idling and truck routes through residential areas now. Keith Rodgerson, who lives near the intersection of 25th street and Toledo feels his city is moving in the wrong direction. He’s watched a […]
Posted inSolutions
How heat pumps of the 1800s are becoming the technology of the future
Innovative thinking has done away with problems that long dogged the electric devices — and both scientists and environmentalists are excited about the possibilities By Chris Baraniuk It was an engineering problem that had bugged Zhibin Yu for years — but now he had the perfect chance to fix it. Stuck at home during the […]
Posted inGuides
Are gas stoves bad for your health? Here’s why the federal government is considering new safety regulations
Cooks love their gadgets, from countertop slow cookers to instant-read thermometers. Now, there’s increasing interest in magnetic induction cooktops – surfaces that cook much faster than conventional stoves, without igniting a flame or heating an electric coil. Some of this attention is overdue: Induction has long been popular in Europe and Asia, and it is […]
Posted inAccountability
DTE-linked dark money group funded campaign to strip Whitmer’s lockdown authority, tax records show
Industry observers say utilities generally supported ending lockdowns. Records show group led by DTE execs used its power and influence to help make it happen. A DTE Energy-linked dark money nonprofit funded a group behind the effort to repeal Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency order powers and end the state’s Covid lockdowns and restrictions, according […]
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What you need to know this week
Power shift: Lawmakers and environmental groups expect the new Democratic-led Michigan Legislature to reverse Republican-enacted laws and reintroduce Democratic-sponsored bills this year. Water shutoffs and affordability, renewable energy reform, and climate change action could be up for debate. Republican-created laws that could be on the chopping block include a 2016 law banning plastic bag bans, […]
Posted inAccountability
Study finds biogas is no silver bullet in Michigan’s climate woes
A state regulator said the fuel might still show promise in ‘hardest-to-decarbonize’ industrial applications. A recent industry report on the viability of developing biogas as an emissions-reducing energy source in Michigan highlights the controversial fuel’s limits. However, the state may still invest taxpayer resources in developing it. The report found that, in the best-case scenario, […]