Michigan Environmental Report
News from Michigan Environmental Council on public policies affecting the health of Michigan's people and environment
Hello & Welcome!
Welcome to Michigan Distilled, the Michigan Environmental Council's latest vehicle to bring ideas, analysis, news, and a bit of fun to the public discourse.
When Our Rivers Caught Fire
John Hartig’s book chronicles fires on horrifically polluted Rouge River and three others, and the public outcry that stopped them.
TRIVIA TIME: Test your knowledge of Michigan’s State Parks
How much do you know about Michigan's State Parks? Test your knowledge here!
Asian carp expert: Great Lakes tributaries may be more at risk than the lakes themselves
Google “Asian carp,” and you’ll return 348,000 hits. Not as many as Lindsay Lohan (21.3 million) but still plenty of choices from which to glean information on the voracious fish knocking on the door of the Great Lakes.
Smoking ban becomes law May 1; here’s what you’ll need to know
A new Michigan law banning smoking at bars, restaurants, and all other worksites, with the exception of the gaming floors of the three Detroit casinos and existing cigar bars and tobacco specialty stores, will become effective on May 1 of this year.
Lake Michigan wind farm plan generates angst, highlights work of Wind Council
Norwegian developers are proposing the state’s first offshore wind farm in Lake Michigan near Pentwater. The plan, for up to 200 turbines within two miles of Silver Lake sand dunes, has generated controversy statewide. Developer Scandia Wind Offshore LLC recently announced it was cutting the project size in half and moving it farther offshore in response to criticism.
Pact reached: Nestlé agrees to reduced water taking in Mecosta County
Citizen group MCWC declares victory in case that changed state law
A grassroots Michigan group declared victory on behalf of the state’s water resources in July after a protracted nine-year battle with an international corporation’s water bottling operation in West Michigan.
Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation continues fight for water rights; Nestlé asks for court do-over
The legal battle of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC) v Nestlé has taken another turn. Nestlé has filed legal arguments to retry a water law case it lost in the trial court and Court of Appeals based on fact and judgment against Nestlé for violation of groundwater law. A three-month trial in 2003 determined that proposed Nestlé withdrawals near Big Rapids would unreasonably drop stream and wetland water levels.