Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/32/)
Capital News Service is a wire service at Michigan State University covering state government - issues and personalities.
Crude oil, once nearly 30 percent of energy produced in state, is now only 4 percent. Production dropped 85 percent between 1980 and 2007. Alternative energy production in Michigan is increasing, but lags other Great Lakes states.
Colony collapse disorder is a scientific mystery in which bees suddenly disappear from their hives.
Large research projects are underway to determine the causes.
Scientists are looking at food sources, nutrition, diseases, viruses and parasites.
A study in Colorado and Texas may influence the Great Lakes wind energy debate.
It says that coal plants ramping up to accommodate the intermittent nature of wind could be more polluting than if they ran at a set rate.
Supporters of 10 Michigan lighthouses requested renovation grants from the Michigan Historic Preservation Office this year.
Funding for the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance program comes from the sale of specialty license plates. Michigan has 128 lighthouses, the most of any state.
A legacy of Michigan’s manufacturing might is seen in abandoned, contaminated and deteriorating buildings.
State officials are gearing up efforts to turn such sites into restaurants, condominiums, golf courses, new manufacturers.
Abandoned urban land no longer generating tax revenue could produce food. The State Land Bank is brokering leases for urban gardens on vacant lots.
Environmental groups want all Michigan diesel trucks, buses and construction vehicles to catch exhaust pollutants with a filter. They say diesel pollution can cause 443 deaths and 57,000 missed work days in Michigan.
A new Michigan online service helps hunters streamline information-gathering. The state’s Mi-Hunt program provides information such as the location of public land open to hunting.
Southeast Michigan officials plan to encourage residents to use mass transit. A significant hurdle is a $1.8 billion shortfall to match reality with plans. A study ranks the region among the lowest for having money for transit projects.
Michigan doesn’t require the inspection of vehicle exhaust systems. That is unlike Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Michigan’s air quality meets federal standards for ozone, a pollutant created in part by car exhaust.