DETROIT - Michigan residents worried about rising electric bills are now hearing a new message from DTE Energy: Big Tech may actually help slow future rate increases. The utility says massive new data centers—like one under consideration by Google in Van Buren Township—could stabilize costs across the electric system. But that claim comes at the
ANN ARBOR - Michigan’s push to become a hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure is running into a hard constraint: the electric grid. As hyperscale data centers expand across the United States, their massive energy demands are forcing utilities, regulators, and local communities to confront a difficult question—how to power the next generation of computing without
LANSING — Michigan residents are about to see their electric bills rise again. State regulators have approved a $276.6 million rate increase for Consumers Energy, marking the latest in a steady series of hikes that are quietly—but consistently—pushing household energy costs higher. For the average customer, the increase will add about $6 per month, depending
DETROIT — Michigan’s push to become a major hub for artificial intelligence and advanced computing is running into a growing obstacle—not technology, but local resistance. Across the state, from rural townships to small cities, residents and local officials are raising concerns about the rapid expansion of data centers—massive, energy-intensive facilities that power everything from cloud
LANSING — A massive $4.3 billion battery plant in Michigan was supposed to help power the next generation of electric vehicles. Now, it may be powering something else entirely. Michigan power grid AI demand is rising as Tesla’s Michigan battery pivot signals a shift beyond electric vehicles. As a result, energy storage is becoming central
ANN ARBOR — After nearly four decades of environmental monitoring and legal battles, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has officially designated the former Gelman Sciences site and its spreading 1,4-dioxane groundwater plume in Ann Arbor and Scio Township as a federal Superfund site. The designation places the contaminated area on the National Priorities List, unlocking
LANSING - The fate of Michigan’s long-running battle over the Line 5 oil pipeline moved to the nation’s highest court Tuesday, as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a procedural dispute that could determine where the legal fight over the controversial pipeline will unfold. At issue before the justices is not whether Line 5
LANSING — Michigan regulators are reviewing a proposed deal that would transfer 13 aging hydroelectric dams from Consumers Energy to a private equity-backed buyer, a transaction critics warn could expose taxpayers and ratepayers to long-term financial and environmental risk if the infrastructure fails. Consumers Energy has asked the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to approve
WASHINGTON DC - The decades-long fight over the future of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline has entered a new phase. With the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completing its federal environmental review of the proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, the decision now largely shifts to Michigan regulators. State permits — and ongoing
WASHINGTON DC - For more than 15 years, U.S. companies, utilities, insurers, and state governments have planned investments around a stable set of federal climate rules anchored by a single regulatory foundation: the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, which determined that greenhouse gas emissions pose risks to public health and economic welfare. That framework
