Environment Michigan

Mining companies that produce construction aggregate have been pushing for years for a law that changes who approves permits for their operations.

U.S. Environmental Protection officials say today that trucks have resumed shipping contaminated materials away from where a train that carried toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

An environmental group says Michigan's grid operator is keeping renewable energy from fully participating in the electric grid.Nearly every year, renewable energy produces more of our electricity, and fossil fuel, especially coal, produces less. Aaron Stemplewicz is with EarthJustice. He says MISO, the multi-state grid operator that includes Michigan, is essentially discriminating against renewables.

The tribe says the work will benefit natural habitats and help prevent flooding.The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi has made progress on a project that aims to bring back the natural curves of the Dowagiac River, which were straightened by settlers in the early 1900s. More bends mean a slower-moving river, with better natural habitats for both aquatic and non-aquatic wildlife.

The State of Michigan has reached a settlement in a PFAS lawsuit against Japanese plastics company Asahi Kasei for pollution in Livingston County.PFAS are a group of chemicals known for the long time they take to break down. Some kinds have been linked to certain cancers.

Michigan environmental groups are urging the federal Environmental Protection Agency to set substantially higher new clean vehicle standards. The EPA is expected to set new standards for cars and light trucks in March.

Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes. One group is urging the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to coordinate their efforts to make the Great Lakes basin more resilient to those changes.Climate change contributed to the rapid rise in Great Lakes water levels a few years ago. Combined with more frequent and intense storms — also a result of climate change — they caused record flooding in 2017 and 2019 in some parts of the Great Lakes region. Homes and property were damaged.

Long awaited plans to clean PFAS chemicals from the Rogue River will now have to until 2024; the delay comes after a proposed plan by Wolverine Worldwide has been scrapped for a new one.(EGLE) to start construction of a remediation system on the Rogue River in September. That did not happen, forcing the state department to issue the Rockford based shoemaker a violation, while telling the company to hurry up.

One bill package overhauls how Michigan handles waste in hopes of raising the state’s recycling rate. It sets new goals and standards for waste management while promoting the re-use of materials.

The $1.7 trillion dollar spending plan recently passed by Congress includes money for a number of environmental issues.