Kelly House

Michigan lawmakers on Wednesday passed bills to exempt so-called “enterprise” data centers from sales and use taxes, over objections from environmentalists. (Shutterstock)

The plant along Lake Michigan is 53 years-old and closed in 2022. But there’s momentum to bring it back online amid a push to diversify national energy sources.

If elected, Trump has vowed to revoke unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate spending law that has heavily benefitted Michigan governments and industry. But experts say it wouldn’t be easy.

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.

Erik Schnelle surveys the landscape from his deer blind on opening day of rifle season in 2023. Schnelle is among a contingent of hunters urging their peers to shoot more does in hopes of combatting deer overpopulation. (Bridge photo by Kelly House)

A study from the U.S. Geological Survey found up to 95 million U.S. residents get their water from aquifers containing detectible amounts of PFAS. (iStock photo by naumoid)

John Doyle, 85, has watched families leave Ontonagon County in droves since White Pine copper mine closed in 1997. A job there during mining’s heyday was a ticket to a good life, Doyle says. (Bridge photo by Kelly House)

A mining rush is on for minerals used for electric batteries, as the United States undergoes an energy transition. Photos show how the process works.

An artist is leading the fight against expanding mining in the western UP. She says society needs a reckoning about consumption, not more heavy extraction.

Decades after the bust, prospectors again descend on Michigan’s northwoods for minerals to make electric batteries. Communities are desperate for jobs. But at what cost?