Government/Politics

Michigan Utility Regulator Calls For End To Annual Rate Hikes, New Rules To Lower Electric Bills

MPSC Plan Would Reshape How DTE, Consumers Energy Recover Costs As Michigan Electricity Prices Rank Second Highest In Midwest LANSING — Michigan's utility regulator wants lawmakers to end the cycle of annual electric rate cases that allows DTE Energy and Consumers Energy to seek new increases soon after previous increases are approved. The Michigan Public

By |2026-08-10T16:52:13-04:00August 10th, 2026|Government/Politics, News, Politics, Politics/Government|

Michigan Workers Lose Ground As Jobs Stall And Inflation Eats Wages

DETROIT — Michigan workers are getting squeezed between a weakening job market and rising living costs, with private-sector employment down about 22,000 jobs over the past two years and inflation-adjusted hourly wages still 2.7% below where they were seven years ago. New federal data released Friday add to the warning signs. U.S. employers unexpectedly cut

By |2026-08-07T14:38:42-04:00August 7th, 2026|Economy, Government/Politics, Politics, Politics/Government|

Michigan Supreme Court Sends Line 5 Tunnel Permit Back To Regulators, Renewing Debate Over Energy, Jobs And Great Lakes Protection

State's highest court says regulators failed to fully examine environmental and public trust issues before approving Enbridge project beneath the Straits of Mackinac LANSING - Michigan's highest court on Friday handed both a victory to Native American tribes and environmental groups—and another setback to one of the Midwest's most closely watched energy infrastructure projects. In

By |2026-08-02T11:20:08-04:00August 2nd, 2026|Government/Politics, News|

Michigan CRA Disciplines More Than 20 Cannabis Licensees In June, With METRC Violations Leading The List

Tracking Michigan cannabis regulatory enforcement, compliance trends and disciplinary actions. ANN ARBOR – Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency disciplined more than 20 licensed cannabis businesses during June, with failures involving the state's METRC seed-to-sale tracking system emerging as the most common compliance issue in the agency's latest monthly enforcement report released Friday. The June 2026 Disciplinary

By |2026-07-24T14:05:27-04:00July 24th, 2026|Government/Politics, Marijuana Business, News|

Powering Michigan’s Future: Whitmer Wants AI Data Centers To Protect Ratepayers. Consumer Advocates Say Voluntary Promises Aren’t Enough.

LANSING — As artificial intelligence companies race to build massive data centers across the country, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is drawing a line on one issue she says shouldn't be negotiable: existing electric customers shouldn't have to pay for the infrastructure needed to power them. Whitmer this week unveiled a Michigan Affordability and Responsible Growth

By |2026-07-17T16:19:00-04:00July 17th, 2026|Government/Politics, News|

MPSC Orders Statewide Investigation After July 3 Storms Expose Michigan Grid Weaknesses

A MITechNews series examining the technology, infrastructure and policies shaping Michigan's energy future. LANSING — Michigan regulators on Thursday launched a statewide investigation into how the state's three largest electric utilities responded to the powerful July 3 storms that left hundreds of thousands of customers across the Lower Peninsula without electricity during one of the

By |2026-07-16T16:01:26-04:00July 16th, 2026|Clean Update, Clean, green, hybrid, Government/Politics|

Michigan Wants To Build The World’s Mobility Capital. Here’s Why It Matters

LANSING - Nearly 500,000 Michiganders already work in what state officials define as the mobility economy—a fast-growing sector that reaches far beyond the automobile industry to include artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, drones, robotics, maritime technologies, aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing. The sector already employs about 495,600 people, representing roughly 13 percent of Michigan's workforce, and

Michigan Keeps Creating Great Ideas. Why Do So Many Startups Leave?

New Innovation Alliance hopes to turn more Michigan inventions into Michigan companies—and keep billions of dollars in future value from leaving the state. LANSING - For decades, Michigan has been one of America's great innovation engines. The state is home to world-class research universities, global automotive and manufacturing companies, a growing artificial intelligence sector, and

What Trump’s Decision To Rewrite North American Trade Deal Means For Michigan Consumers

ANN ARBOR — President Donald Trump's decision to reopen the North American trade agreement with Canada and Mexico could eventually affect the prices Michigan consumers pay for automobiles, appliances and other everyday goods, while creating new uncertainty for the state's manufacturing economy. The Trump administration announced this week that it will not renew the current

By |2026-07-05T14:34:33-04:00July 5th, 2026|Auto Tech, Government/Politics, Politics, Politics/Government|

The Constitution’s Forgotten Ethics Rule: What Is an Emolument?

ANN ARBOR - As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, many are revisiting the ideas that shaped the nation's founding. One of the least familiar is a constitutional safeguard known as the Emoluments Clauses. The word "emolument" is rarely used in modern English. In the late 18th century, however, it generally

By |2026-07-03T11:58:04-04:00July 3rd, 2026|Featured, Government/Politics, Politics, Politics/Government|