Echo
Lawmakers want to take the wind out of off-shore turbine sails
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Proposed legislation could keep wind turbines out of the Great Lakes, and that’s good — or bad — depending on perspective.
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Better management needed for private forest land
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Of Michigan’s 19 million acres of forest land, 8.4 million have private, non-industrial owners. Those owners mostly want the land for recreation or aesthetics, but few actively manage their forests for those uses.
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Rising gas prices drive interest in vanpooling
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With more than 335 state-sponsored vanpools and escalating gas prices, the Michigan Transportation Department predicts that van commuting will gain popularity.
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Proposal would exempt some road projects from wetlands requirement
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A new Senate bill would prohibit the state from imposing mitigation requirements on some road projects that damage wetlands.
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Conservationists call for update to federal law to block invasive species
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Recent battles with invasive species in the Great Lakes have prompted a call to update a 1900 federal law that governs importation of non-native plants and animals.
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Cities, state look for savings in greener buildings
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Proponents say lower operating costs helps government free up money to help build new businesses.
Rooftop solar panels and an underground geothermal network are among the energy-saving efforts made by Farmington Hills.
Waste
Michigan lawmakers want federal action on nuclear waste
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Michigan lawmakers want a Nevada disposal site to start accepting nuclear waste.
The state’s waste from nuclear power plants is now stored on-site, although ratepayers have paid $760 million toward a proposed national repository.
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Growers welcome, critics leery of GE beets
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Farmers are upbeat about a federal decision to permit the continued use of the Roundup Ready sugar beets, a genetically engineered crop.
GE crops are associated with lower production costs and higher yields. Critics say that they could cause environmental and health risks.
Echo
Criticism, money, doubts stall biomass
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Optimistic plans for biomass plants in the state are largely on hold, leaving the expansion of a highly publicized renewable energy source up in the air.
Proposals to add to the existing seven commercial biomass plants have faced problems ranging from public backlash to funding to concerns about fuel supplies.
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Economic impact of snowmobiles, hunting significant
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As the U.S. Forest Service considers banning snowmobiling and firearm hunting in 70,000 acres of the Huron-Manistee National Forest, one study found they produce considerable economic impact.