Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/)
Capital News Service is a wire service at Michigan State University covering state government - issues and personalities.
By Madison Merrell
Upfront costs of clean energy projects such as wind and solar may be high but the long-term savings on fuel and increased reliability more than offset those initial costs, experts say.
By Christian Vazquesz
A Michigan state senator is pushing for a statewide vote to expand the 10-cent bottle and can deposit law, while the Midwest Independent Retailers Association is calling for repeal of the law. Meanwhile, the state House approved a bill sponsored by a Clinton Township representative to give an income tax write-off to beverage distributors that move recycled cans and bottles from stores to recycling plants.
By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov
Across Michigan, religious institutions, local governments, schools and nonprofits are turning to a federal program called Elective Pay to help pay for solar panels and other clean-energy projects.
By Sonja Krohn
DTE and Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest electric utilities, have ramped up tree trimming to improve reliability. Despite improvements, Michigan has the poorest reliability record among the Great Lakes states, the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan says.
By Justin Fox Clausen
A new bill in Michigan would prohibit home insurance companies from denying, canceling or raising premiums for homeowners and tenants based on the breeds of their dogs.
By Sonja Krohn
The dry conditions and drought that Michigan is experiencing this winter may adversely affect the upcoming crop growing season.
By Lillian Williams
The shrinking number of farms in Michigan – down by about 1,300 between 2023 and 2024 – and the trend of existing farms to expand to survive is changing the culture of rural communities.
By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov
Bankruptcies of Michigan farmers are troubling despite a dip in their Chapter 12 filings last year. Major reasons are higher expenses for inputs such as fertilizer coupled with flat commodity prices.
By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov
New U-M survey finds only about 5% of rural Michigan residents say they would choose an electric vehicle as their next car. Researchers attribute much of that reluctance to misinformation about the availability of public chargers and the cost of EVs and replacement batteries. The Whitmer administration is pushing to expand electric vehicle use to meet climate and clean energy goals.
By Justin Fox Clausen
Lawmakers are making another effort to adopt Michigan’s first statewide septic code with mandatory inspections, intended to protect drinking water from contamination. It’s the only state without one.