
The Environment Report
The Environment Report, hosted by Lester Graham, explores the relationship between the natural world and the everyday lives of people in Michigan.
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Michigan has far to go to meet net zero carbon emissions, but progress is being made. Researchers say we need to look farther ahead and prepare now for the technical challenges that must be overcome.
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The transition to cleaner energy in Michigan could get an assist through transmission lines to renewable energy from solar and wind in the Great Plains states.
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Solar and wind energy are sporadic sources of power. Even with enough production to power the entire state of Michigan, storage is needed to keep supply steady with demand. Batteries alone won't suffice.
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The reliability of electric power and the resilience of the grid are major obstacles to the transition to clean energy as Michigan law requires. The mostly wood and wire grid in some places is a century old.
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We're using more power, some of the electric grid is a century old, and severe storms caused by climate change are battering the distribution system, all while trying to make the transition to renewable power and clean energy.
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Michigan is experiencing drought conditions in places. Rain would be good, but too often spring rains become intense storms because of climate change.
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Chronic wasting disease, a fatal neurological ailment, kills deer. It's been slowly spreading through Michigan. Washtenaw County is the 15th county where the disease has been detected in deer.
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The University of Michigan Research Seminar In Quantitative Economics' economic outlook for 2025-2026 projects slower job growth and new inflationary pressures due to tariffs.
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More than a decade after the Flint Water Crisis, another lawsuit has been settled. This one with the engineering company Veolia North American (VNA).
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$21 billion in federal grants, loans, and loan guarantees for Michigan projects are being rescinded or held back for clean energy efforts by the Trump administration.
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Most wind energy projects in Michigan are on farmland in the southern part of the state. They are often controversial even there, but one company wants to…
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Bacterial canker is a devastating tree disease that affects sweet cherry orchards around the country. There is currently no good way to treat it, but some…
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A decline in lake whitefish is pushing some tribal commercial fishermen out of Lakes Michigan and Huron. They’re spending more time in Lake Superior, the…
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The state has finished testing all the public water systems in Michigan for PFAS chemicals. Of more than a thousand municipal systems, 119 are…
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A lot of people assume a healthy diet is also good for the environment. A recently published study lends some credence to that conventional…
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Bees are disappearing. You might have heard that colony collapse disorder of European honeybees can nearly wipe out a hive. But native bees are also in…
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The partial federal government shutdown could have wide-ranging consequences for the Great Lakes. There already are some problems, but things could get…
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A combination of state and federal proposals to change protections of wetlands and streams could damage waterways. The Trump administration proposes to…
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Some cities in Michigan could lose half of all their trees due to disease or pests. Foresters are working to reduce the potential devastation.“So, I just…
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Soon, you’ll start seeing your energy bills start to rise each month because of the cold weather. That’s never fun. But, you might be paying a lot more…