The claim that clean energy and agriculture are natural allies overlooks a fundamental reality: the substantial land requirement for renewable energy projects.
A divided Michigan House passes legislation requiring utilities to draw 100 percent of their energy from clean sources by 2040. That's a later timeline than environmentalists had sought — and foes say it will raise rates — but many say the reform is overdue.
Passed along party lines, the legislation would end local governments’ authority to approve or deny projects. Proponents say the change would end local controversies and jump-start clean energy. Foes say it’s anti-farm and heavy-handed.
A 136-turbine wind project in Isabella County is generating millions of dollars in revenue for the district, giving it access to the kinds of resources and amenities small rural school districts typically can’t afford.
Clean energy bills, aimed at combating climate change, are short on scientific research and dismissive of the rights of local residents and townships, making them deeply undemocratic.
Clean energy opponents seek to portray wind and solar projects as an attack on rural communities. That’s not true. Renewable energy sites are helping to save farmland so families can pass properties to future generations.
Long overdue or an overreach that will increase rates? Democrats and Republicans divided on plan to require 100 percent clean energy and increase renewable energy sources in the next decade.
The bills would shift permitting authority over large wind and solar projects from local governments to the state. They have support from environmentalists, and opposition from local government advocates.
As climate change threatens to warm Michigan rivers, dam removal can drive temperatures down by several degrees overnight. An influx of state and federal money has boosted removal efforts, but advocates say more is needed.
Democratic bill sponsors say local fights over renewable energy threaten Michigan’s ability to meet climate goals and deliver reliable power. But Republican lawmakers say they fear rural communities will be railroaded by the green energy transition.
A bill package introduced Tuesday would give the state control over the permitting of large wind and solar projects. Controversy is brewing as Democrats negotiate other parts of their clean energy package behind closed doors.
Global warming is the latest in a string of challenges to face the lakes in their young (geologically speaking) lives. More than 150 native fish species are at risk.
Government officials begin the grim task of prioritizing which cold lakes and rivers to sacrifice — or save — as the climate changes. Not all cold-water loving fish may survive in the northern Great Lakes region.
Michigan’s wild places — and the fish and wildlife that call them home — are under threat as warmer temperatures cause species to migrate northward and rivers to overheat. Advocates called for more resources to protect Michigan’s fish and game from those changes.
Michigan can’t foist the energy transition on rural communities without their consent, but instead should build bridges that demonstrate we are all in this together.
As Michigan Democrats push energy bills setting ambitious deadlines for utilities to go ‘carbon neutral,’ they face pressure from all sides. Environmentalists want more, while business groups say the measures move too quickly.
Months after proposing a 2035 deadline for utilities to get all their energy from carbon-free sources, Democratic lawmakers say they’re moving the deadline to 2040 and making other changes.
Building a clean energy economy means demanding corporate accountability for human and ecological impacts of production — and that starts by supporting workers with good union contracts.
