water pollution

Pipeline Expert Claims MPSC Downplaying Line 5 Tunnel Explosion Risk

LANSING - An oil and gas pipeline expert testifying in a permitting case involving Enbridge’s Line 5 says state energy staffers are downplaying the risk of a potentially catastrophic explosion within a proposed tunnel that would carry oil and propane beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Richard Kuprewicz, the president of Washington-based Accufacts Inc. who has

By |2022-01-07T08:21:28-05:00January 7th, 2022|Clean Update, Climate Change|

Michigan Grants Enbridge Key Permits To Build Line 5 Tunnel Under Straits

LANSING - Enbridge Energy is one step closer to building a tunnel to transport petroleum beneath the Straits of Mackinac, after Michigan environmental regulators approved key permits for the Line 5 project. The decision by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy comes months after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the pipeline to shut down

By |2021-01-31T10:37:17-05:00January 30th, 2021|Clean Update, Clean, green, hybrid|

State Unveils New Plan For Lake Erie Water Quality Improvement

LANSING—Michigan state government has released a draft Adaptive Management Plan that will inform decisions and guide projects outlined in the Domestic Action Plan for Lake Erie, a targeted approach for improving water quality and reducing the amount of phosphorus entering the lake by 40 percent by 2025. Decreasing phosphorus inputs is intended to help reduce

By |2020-03-01T11:20:05-05:00March 1st, 2020|Clean Update, ESD, Politics, Politics/Government|

Enbridge Wins Another Round Over Dana Nessel In Michigan Line 5 Tunnel Fight

LANSING — Enbridge Energy Inc. can proceed as planned with construction of an underwater tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac to house a replacement for the dual Line 5 oil pipelines after the Michigan Court of Appeals this week declined to suspend a prior ruling. A three-judge panel on Tuesday denied Attorney General Dana Nessel’s

By |2020-01-21T19:58:53-05:00January 21st, 2020|Clean Update, Politics, Politics/Government|

How To Weigh In On Michigan’s Proposed Limits On PFAS In Drinking Water

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy this week is beginning to accept public comment on proposed new limits for PFAS in drinking water. Through month’s end, the state is soliciting input on the proposed rules, including three community meetings, before likely rolling them out in late spring. Michigan’s rules would set maximum

By |2020-01-08T19:52:45-05:00January 8th, 2020|Clean Update|

Enbridge Waited 2 Months Before Reporting Line 5 Tunnel Equipment Loss

LANSING - Enbridge waited two months to report to the state the loss of some equipment on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac while conducting geotechnical drilling ahead of the potential Line 5 tunnel project and likely will have to leave the debris until spring 2020. According to media reports this week, Enbridge was

By |2019-12-09T07:30:20-05:00December 8th, 2019|Politics, Politics/Government|

New UM study: Lake Huron A Crucial Part Of Controlling Toxic Lake Erie Algal Blooms

ANN ARBOR—A new study from the University of Michigan asserts that targets to reduce phosphorous outputs from the Detroit area to control toxic blooms of cyanobacteria in Lake Erie are unrealistic if the phosphorous inputs from Lake Huron aren’t controlled as well. In an effort to control the cyanobacteria blooms and dead zones that plague

By |2019-11-14T11:02:18-05:00November 10th, 2019|Clean Update, Featured, Life Sciences|

Enbridge Disputes AG Nessel’s Claim Taxpayers Could Pay For Oil Spill Cleanup

ANN ARBOR - Enbridge is disputing Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s suggestion that state taxpayers “could be left holding the bag” for cleanup costs if the Candadian-based company’s twin Line 5 oil and gas pipelines were to rupture in the Straits of Mackinac. “The bottom line is Enbridge will take full responsibility and pay for

By |2019-11-06T10:24:51-05:00November 6th, 2019|Guest Columns|

Peters Touts Small Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding Bump

LANSING - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced last week additional funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for the 2020 fiscal year that has passed the U.S. Senate as part of a government spending bill. Funding for the initiative would increase to $310 million from $301 million if the provision Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) helped shepherd through

By |2019-11-04T20:44:49-05:00November 4th, 2019|Politics, Politics/Government|

Report Warns Enbridge Not On Hook If Line 5 Spills

LANSING - If the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline across the Straits of Mackinac ruptures, the various agreements involving the pipeline do not require the company to pay for the cost of cleanup and remediation, a study commissioned by the departments of Attorney General and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says. Attorney General Dana Nessel released the

By |2019-11-03T19:09:18-05:00November 3rd, 2019|Featured, Politics, Politics/Government|