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. In a move that is sending ripples through the auto industry, Tesla and LG Energy Solution are shifting the focus of the Lansing-area facility away from
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
ANN ARBOR - Electricity and natural gas bills are quietly becoming one of the biggest cost pressures on American households — and Michigan residents are feeling it faster and harder than many others. Across the U.S., utilities are winning approval for billions of dollars in rate increases tied to grid upgrades, transmission expansion, and rising
NOVI — A proposed high-voltage transmission line stretching from Oneida in Eaton County to a new Sabine Lake substation in Livingston County is emerging as one of the most significant energy infrastructure projects Michigan has seen in years — not because of its size alone, but because of what it represents about the future of
ANN ARBOR - The accelerating cost of climate change is no longer confined to distant coastal disasters or global economic forecasts. It is increasingly showing up in everyday household and business expenses — especially through higher insurance premiums, shrinking coverage options, and rising housing and operating costs. While states like Florida and California are already
LANSING — Michigan’s clean-energy economy is entering a more fragmented phase after the state lost roughly $540 million in federal climate-related grants, triggering a pullback in several high-profile renewable and green-manufacturing projects while other energy investments continue to move forward. The funding losses follow a shift in federal priorities in 2025 that froze or terminated
ANN ARBOR - For decades, solar power has followed a familiar formula: rigid, flat panels mounted on rooftops or spread across open fields. Those panels have helped Michigan steadily expand its solar footprint — even in a state better known for cloud cover than desert sun. Now, researchers are developing a new class of photovoltaic
