Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/capital-news-service/page/34/)
Coal-fired power plants in seven Michigan counties have been linked to hundreds of premature deaths in the state. But utilities warn that new federal regulations will lead to plant shutdowns and increased customer costs.
By Jon Gaskell
Capital News Service
LANSING— Beware the Northern snakehead. Beware the inland silverside. And beware a host of other invasive species prompting a recent report recommending spending billions to separate the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes. The Asian carp is the media darling that gets all the attention. But according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there are 39 other “high-risk invasive species” that might migrate through Chicago waterways and have the potential to wreak ruin on native ecosystems.
Of these species, 10 could potentially cause huge environmental damage, the agency said. “Asian carp are sort of the canary in the coal mine,” said Jared Teutsch of the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Michigan municipal waste facilities would be required to accept all septic waste produced within 25 miles under a bill awaiting action in the Senate. But not everyone thinks it’s a good thing.
Children’s toys sometimes contain harmful chemicals.
Some Michigan lawmakers are trying to require that manufacturers and distributors let consumers know which toys may be toxic.
A recent personal property tax ruling that will cost Michigan counties millions of dollars in revenue could prove vital for utility companies and energy manufacturers around the state.
Michigan counties with wind farms stand to lose millions of dollars in property tax revenue due to a recent change in tax policy.
Michigan’s Consumers Energy recently announced the closure of seven coal-fired power plants in Michigan and cancelled construction of another to focus on clean energy.
While some don’t consider burning trash as green, Michigan is exploring waste-to-fuel plants as an alternative energy source.
Two Michigan departments regulate fenced in deer farms.
Some farmers are unhappy with the DNR’s role, and a new bill would make the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development solely responsible for the farms.
House Democrats in Michigan are pushing bills to protect the state’s waters by regulating fracking, a process that injects water and chemicals deep into the ground to fracture rocks and force out natural gas.