Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/34/)
Capital News Service is a wire service at Michigan State University covering state government - issues and personalities.
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.
Feral pigs are an increasing environmental problem in the Great Lakes region. They can dig up ground a foot or more deep, destroy crops and carry diseases that infect domestic livestock.
Michigan officials are crafting an environmental justice policy to give minority and low-income communities a greater voice in environmental decisions.
The Environmental Protection Agency encouraged the state to create the plan in the wake of two unsuccessful lawsuits. The public has until April 9 to comment on the plan.
In 2009, Michigan produced the most maple syrup in more than 60 years, but this spring farmers are tapping out sooner than they had hoped. An early warm spell made it a poor season, syrupers say.
Ideal conditions require below-freezing temperatures at night and above-freezing temperatures during the day.
Last year the state produced 115,000 gallons of syrup ranking it fifth in the nation. A typical year is 60,000 to 70,000 gallons.