environment

New Michigan House bills would cap profits for public utilities, stop them from using ratepayer revenue to cover executives’ pay and require infrastructure re-evaluation every five years. Colin Jackson has more.

The Huron River Watershed Council is holding a public meeting to discuss PFAS being detected in Dexter-area wastewater. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the details.

Because of federal funding rollbacks for environmental programs, city and local governmental units are looking to more public-private partnerships. With Ann Arbor looking to become carbon neutral by the year 2030, such partnerships are crucial. WEMU's David Fair talked with the Director of the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations, Missy Stults, on the importance of expanding such partnerships.

Chloride from excessive road salt runoff is endangering several Ann Arbor creeks and other waterways. That’s the findings of a workgroup of the city’s Sustainability Commission. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

The cycletrack on Catherine Street in downtown Ann Arbor is expanding to make pedestrian travel through downtown safer. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the details.

It's a special fundraising edition of "1st Friday Focus on the Environment." For a final time, WEMU's David Fair co-hosts this segment. He's joined by his co-host of more than 25 years, Lisa Wozniak from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. And they're also joined by the original co-host and co-founder of 1st Fridays, Lana Pollack, the former state Senator from Ann Arbor, President of the Michigan Environmental Council and U.S Chair of the International Joint Commission.

The Ann Arbor Planning Commission has approved a rezoning and site plan for a new apartment complex on West Huron. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

We often ask ourselves how we can make a difference in the health of our environment at home. One of the answers is to build a rain garden. There are now well over 1,000 rain gardens in Washtenaw County as the Water Resources Commissioner's Office has scaled a decentralized network to capture and filter stormwater. It's making a difference, and the effort will expand this year. WEMU's David Fair gets more details in a conversation with Rain Garden Coordinator, Susan Bryan.

Eastern Michigan University students spearheaded a recent effort to transform the annual Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition (SEMIS) Community Forum into a zero-waste event for the first time. Thanks to their efforts, 250 pounds of food and other materials were composted, and 165 pounds of unused food were recovered and donated to Ypsilanti-based Hope Clinic, resulting in less than a third of a bag of waste from the event going to a landfill. Lee Van Roth talked about the event and what it may lead to with SEMIS Coalition Director Anna Balzer.

As energy bills continue to rise the Michigan League of Conservation Voters is renewing the push for the passage of a state Ratepayer Bill of Rights. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.