Environment


FILE - A girl looks at the moon through a telescope in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, May 15, 2022. The best day to spot five planets, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars, lined up in the night sky is Tuesday, March 28, 2023, right after sunset. The five-planet array will be visible from anywhere on Earth, as long as you have clear skies. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
5 Planets on Parade: Here’s How to See Them This Week

Keep an eye to the sky this week for a chance to see a planetary hangout. Five planets — Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars — will line up near the moon.

Eventually, state officials aim to convert 27 more Mackinac Island ferries to electric power as part of the Mackinac Economic Alliance’s latest strategic plan to create full-time, year-round marine and shipbuilding jobs in the straits region.
Mackinac Ferry Kicks Off New Electric Future for Michigan’s Great Lakes

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy this month announced a $3 million grant to Mackinac Island Ferry Co., formerly known as Star Line, to replace two 1988 diesel engines with two new electric propulsion motors on a ferry called the Chippewa.

Resurrection Swamp: A Wetland Contaminated by Industrial Waste Comes Back to Life

A wetland contaminated by industrial waste is slowly coming back to life. Nature’s tenacity found a powerful ally in a kayak tours operator and her many volunteers.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Scorecard: Michigan Republicans Don’t Care About the Environment

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters this week released the results of its National Environmental Scorecard, which evaluates whether the state’s elected leaders in Congress are actually working to protect the environment—or simply ignoring the problem. 

In this March 5, 2020 file photo, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addresses the media during a news conference in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/David Eggert, File)
Nessel Joins Fight to Keep Railroads Safe in Michigan

More than a dozen trains carrying hazardous materials have been derailed across the US so far this year. And this week, Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining the fight to keep things safe by opposing a company’s request to ship more potentially dangerous chemicals across the US.

No Hazardous Materials Spill in Train Derailment Near Detroit

A train hauling hazardous materials derailed Thursday near Detroit, but none spilled, officials said.

Environmental Activists Adopt New Tactics to Battle Michigan Polluters

The 1990 election of Gov. John Engler ushered in a new era of deregulation, and, for the next several decades, governors and a largely GOP-controlled Legislature shredded environmental protections while defunding and gutting the state's regulatory agencies.