For the full article, see Keith Matheny, "The war over wolves: U.P. residents say hunt will control a killer", Detroit Free Press, May 19, 2013.

10 percent of Michigan's septic fields stink: 130,000 of them failed
May 16, 2013
Of the 1.3 million wastewater treatment systems in Michigan, nearly 10 percent have failed. That's about 130,000 systems. With thousands of failing septic systems throughout the state, what's that doing to our water? Michigan is the only state in the Union that doesn't have uniform standards governing how on-site sewage treatment systems should be designed, built, installed and maintained.

Kalamazoo rallies to pressure EPA to remove hazardous paper mill waste
Lindsey Smith
May 16, 2013
More than a hundred people, a dozen strollers and a few dogs lined up and marched about halfway around the Allied landfill site in Kalamazoo Wednesday night chanting – “What do we want? Cleanup! When do we want it? Now!” It isn’t a typical landfill. It’s where a paper mill dumped decades-worth of waste that’s laced with cancer-causing chemicals.

Source : Michigan Radio Environment Report and Michigan Radio News Environment and Science

The International Joint Commission, which advises both nations on issues affecting shared waterways, said their governments had compiled a mixed record in restoring the Great Lakes, which for much of the 20th Century were fouled by industrial and household sewage and overrun with exotic fish and mussels.

For the full article, see John Flesher, "Report card: Great Lakes still have big problems", Detroit Free Press, May 14, 2013.

Bro G Land Co. has applied for a state Department of Environmental Quality permit to build a 2,800-square-foot home on 2.2 acres of dune property near Barrier Dune Sanctuary. The site is in Muskegon County's White River Township.

For the full article, see "West Michigan lawmaker: State rejects dune road request", Detroit News, May 12, 2013.

Wolf hunt in the Upper Peninsula approved, opponents vow to fight on
Steve Carmody
May 10, 2013
A state board authorized a wolf hunt in the Upper Peninsula on Thursday. The decision comes after months of passionate debate.

Should humans put more wolves on Isle Royale?
Mark Brush
May 9, 2013
Times have changed. In Michigan we plan on killing wolves because some feel there are too many. It's a different story on Isle Royale where the wolf population is hanging on by a thread. But because Isle Royale National Park is a designated wilderness area, we, as humans, have pledged not to intervene. So what should we do? The National Park Service has a big decision to make. The folks who have been studying this place for a long time share their thoughts in this op-ed piece.

Officials have approved a Michigan wolf hunt, 43 animals targeted
Steve Carmody
May 9, 2013
The Natural Resources Commission has approved a wolf hunt for the Upper Peninsula. The panel heard from supporters and opponents before the vote. State wildlife officials counted 658 wolves this winter. Officials hope to kill 43 wolves in the hunt.

State auctions mineral rights as 'anti-fracking' groups gather
Jack Neher
May 9, 2013
Opponents of hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – are blasting Michigan officials for opening more state lands to oil and gas companies. They held a rally in Lansing today as state officials auctioned the mineral rights for tens of thousands of acres of state land.

University scientists urge Gov. Snyder to veto bill that restricts DNR
Rebecca Williams
May 9, 2013
A group of scientists from 13 Michigan universities is urging Governor Rick Snyder to veto a bill (SB 78) if it reaches his desk. The bill prohibits the Michigan Department of Natural Resources from setting aside land specifically for maintaining biodiversity. The state Senate has passed the bill. It’s now being considered by the state House.

Source : Michigan Radio Environment Report and Michigan Radio News Environment and Science

For the full article, see Jim Lynch, "Fracking debate heats up as drilling projects begin", Detroit News, May 9, 2013.

Citing public pressure, U.S. State Department extends comment period on Enbridge pipeline proposal
Lindsey Smith
May 8, 2013
The U.S. State Department has extended the public comment period on a proposal to nearly double the amount of crude oil that's shipped in a pipeline along Lake Superior. Enbridge Energy’s Line 67, also known as the “Alberta Clipper” pipeline, runs from the tar sands region in Canada down to Wisconsin near Lake Superior. In the US, it's more than 300 miles long and three feet in diameter.

Gov. Snyder signs controversial 'wolf hunt' bill
Mark Brush
May 8, 2013
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed SB 288 and 289 this afternoon. The bills pave the way for a limited wolf hunt to take place in the Upper Peninsula this fall. It also goes around a referendum aimed at stopping a wolf hunt.

Palisades leak angers Congressman Upton; new documents show alternative fix for leaky tank
Lindsey Smith
May 7, 2013
A powerful voice in Washington is demanding a permanent fix to the leaky water tank at the Palisades Nuclear Plant. Congressman Fred Upton says he’s “outraged” by the unplanned release of slightly radioactive water into Lake Michigan over the weekend. Regulators say there is no risk to public safety.

Snyder declares flood-related emergency in 19 counties
Rick Pluta
May 7, 2013
Governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of disaster across much of Michigan due to storm- and flood-related damage. The proclamation makes state resources available to help the weather-stricken areas.

Source : Michigan Radio Environment Report and Michigan Radio News Environment and Science

The program, once a valuable tool to keep parks and nature areas spruced up while providing jobs to unemployed people, is now only a shadow of FDR’s grand plan to improve the nation’s forests, parks and fisheries and far from its heyday — from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s — when it was funded through a multimillion-dollar endowment and had hundreds of people supplementing Department of Natural Resource workers in state parks and waterways. The culprit has been the state’s sluggish economy, which siphoned money from the once-popular program.

For the full article, see Kathleen Gray, "Michigan conservation effort falls on hard times as state drains fund for park improvements", Detroit Free Press, May 6, 2013.