ANN ARBOR—Drive through nearly any corner of America long enough and giant solar farms or rows of wind turbines come into view, all with the goal of increasing the country’s renewable energy use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But what some may not realize is at times these renewable energy sources can produce more power
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Apex Clean Energy today announced that its proposed sale of the Isabella Wind I and II projects to the Detroit-based utility holding company DTE Energy, has been conditionally approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). The two projects, totaling 385 MW and located in mid-Michigan’s Isabella County, will be the largest
LANSING - Control of the Public Service Commission will flip to a 2-1 Democratic majority later this summer following the appointment Wednesday of environmental sustainability advocate Tremaine Phillips who will take over a vacant seat. Environmental groups were enthusiastic in their initial responses to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's pick of Phillips, who has worked within the energy
HOUGHTON—The cost of solar energy has plummeted in recent years, and a new study from Michigan Technological University’s Michigan Tech Open Sustainability Technology (MOST) Laboratory shows just how few fortunes it would take to permanently green the grid. The study shows that the personal fortunes of just 79 American multi-billionaires could completely eliminate the use of fossil
LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday went to court seeking to decommission the 66-year old twin pipelines underneath the Straits of Mackinac, arguing the continued operation of the Enbridge pipeline is "likely to cause pollution, impairment or destruction of the water and other natural resources of the Great Lakes." The lawsuit seeks
LANSING - Wolverine World Wide, the company accused of dumping waste that contaminated bodies of water in Kent County with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, said it has provided "every affected resident with access to clean and reliable water" following the discovery of PFAS in drinking water sources and therefore the lawsuit against the company should
LANSING - Land under Michigan's Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program can house solar panels under a change announced Monday by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Agriculture and Rural Development Director Gary McDowell. The change was a product of a workgroup McDowell chaired on incorporating renewable energy into farmland preservation. Those participating in the program would have their
MACKINAC ISLAND - An umbrella organization representing most of the state's top environmental organizations in efforts to shut down Enbridge Energy's Line 5 oil pipeline at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac put the choice facing Governor Gretchen Whitmer, seen as an ally of the environmental movement, in stark terms Friday. Whitmer is in
ANN ARBOR—Four new research grants from the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute will address the challenges of safe drinking water, climate change vulnerability, sustainable livestock production, and the health and energy justice impacts of electricity generation. Led by multidisciplinary faculty teams, these new Catalyst Grant projects will lay the groundwork for ongoing collaborations and
ANN ARBOR—Though the Detroit River delivers one-quarter of the phosphorus that flows into Lake Erie, there’s never been a detailed accounting of the nutrient’s urban and agricultural sources across the entire binational watershed. The uncertainty created by this knowledge gap has complicated efforts to develop a regional strategy for reducing phosphorus inputs to Lake Erie,
