Echo

Pall Life Sciences water cleanup proposals criticized

By |

(MI) Ann Arbor News – Critics charge that modifications to Pall Life Sciences’ long-running groundwater cleanup plan could endanger Ann Arbor’s drinking water. About 35 people turned out for a meeting Wednesday night of the Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane, when proposed modifications to the Scio Township company’s plan were discussed. Critics say changes to the plan will dramatically increase the amount of a possible carcinogen allowed to remain in area aquifers. More

Echo

Climate Bill Clears Hurdle, but Others Remain

By |

(NY) The New York Times – The House Energy and Commerce Committee, splitting largely along party lines, approved on Thursday the most ambitious energy and global warming legislation ever debated in Congress. The bill’s passage, on a 33-to-25 vote, served as a bookend to a week that began with President Obama’s announcing a deal with auto manufacturers to impose tough new mileage and emissions standards for all cars and trucks sold in the United States starting in 2012. More

Echo

Cleveland wants to use dry river muck to create an industrial park

By |

(OH) The Plain Dealer – Mounds of dried river muck would be dumped and leveled to help create a large industrial park in the Cuyahoga River valley, under a unique plan crafted by Cleveland officials. The city is working with the Army Corps of Engineers on an effort to scoop 500,000 cubic yards of dredged muck from dikes north of Burke Lakefront Airport. The dirt — enough to fill 154 Olympic-sized pools — could be taken to a valley west and south of Pershing Avenue and Interstate 77, officials say. More

Echo

Detroit light rail moves forward

By |

(MI) The Detroit News – Leaders of a $125 million light rail project said Thursday they have reached an agreement to collaborate with the city on a three-mile plan to link city riders in a local transit system. The privately funded M-1 Rail, an approximately 3.4 mile, 12-stop route from Hart Plaza to Grand Boulevard, would be the “first phase” of a Detroit Department of Transportation’s proposed $371 million project. That plan, the Detroit Transit Options for Growth, calls for a light rail to extend from Grand to Eight Mile, said Matthew Cullen, M-1 project president and CEO. More

Echo

Saving the Amsterdam Dunes

By |

(WI) Sheboygan Press – In the southeast corner of Sheboygan County sits 323 acres of rolling sand dunes, forest and wetlands representing one of the last major expanses of undeveloped – and unprotected – wilderness on the western shores of Lake Michigan. For years, developers have been eyeing the privately-owned site – known as Amsterdam Dunes – for homes, a convention center, marina and even a casino. But if county planners have their way, all but a fraction of the property will remain untouched. More

Land

Urban villages in Detroit’s future?

By |

(MI) Detroit Free Press – In a new vision of Detroit’s future, a team of visiting urban planners suggests the city might one day resemble the English countryside, with distinct urban villages surrounded by farms, fields and meadows. The idea may sound improbable, but Alan Mallach, a New Jersey-based planner who led the visiting team, said Detroit is evolving in that direction anyway, with large chunks of the city now largely abandoned. More

Energy

Mileage rules fuel drivers’ wants

By |

(MI) The Detroit News – The new fuel-efficiency and emission standards may lead to smaller cars with lighter engines. This is not what consumers prefer, auto analysts tell us. They may be right that Americans want big, cheap cars. They also want free gasoline, clean air and complementary cocktails in coach. Meanwhile, they don’t want to send their money to petro-financed terrorists.

Echo

Greenville joins with United Solar Ovonic LLC on a solar powered future

By |

(MI) Grand Rapids Press – The quest for cheaper, cleaner energy has city and school officials partnering with United Solar Ovonic LLC on a $36 million project to convert their facilities to solar power. “The rationale goes well beyond cutting utility costs. It’s about jump-starting a local and state economy in an emerging industry,” Greenville Public Schools Superintendent Pete Haines said. “It’s more about putting people to work producing and installing than actually generating revenues. More importantly, for the long run, it’s about creating a full-spectrum training site — everything from manufacturing of the product to installing and monitoring.”

Echo

In the hot seat: Solar-powered bathroom going up along Bay County Railtrail

By |

(MI) Bay City Times – Anyone who’s ever stepped into a portable toilet knows what it’s like inside on a hot day. Local leaders are turning to solar power to freshen things up in Bay County’s Bangor Township. A 10-by-12 foot block building is being constructed along the Railtrail system along Patterson Avenue, in front of the Bay County Wastewater Treatment Plant.  More

Recreation

South Haven to swimmers: Respect Lake Michigan

By |

(MI) Kalamazoo Gazette – You can’t be too safe swimming in Lake Michigan. That’s the message South Haven officials are sending to residents and visitors of this popular resort town. “The take-home message is to get people to respect Lake Michigan,” said Mayor Pro Tem Scott Smith, who is urging area schools to include an educational video about rip currents in their yearly curriculum. More