LANSING - The farms contributing to nutrient loads in Lake Erie also benefit from substantial federal subsidies, the Less=More Coalition said in a report released Thursday. The group found that subsidies to confined animal feeding operations outpaced fines for pollution violations, though pollutant levels in the western Lake Erie Basin increased. "While agricultural runoff has
LANSING - Customers of Consumers Energy will pay $1.28 more monthly for their electricity service, effective December 1, under new rates approved Thursday by the Michigan Public Service Commission. The PSC authorized Consumers Energy to increase its electric rates by $130 million annually, due in part to the company's retirement of seven coal plants in
LANSING - The Early Stage Venture Investment Fund will see no additional funds under legislation signed Monday by Governor Rick Snyder. Snyder also signed bills allowing high school students to take financial literacy classes for economics credit and increasing fines for certain poaching offenses. The venture fund had come under fire for not being able to
LANSING - The Michigan House Energy Policy Committee reported a bill this month that included language requiring alternative electric suppliers in the state to have enough capacity for their customers for the following three years if a shortfall was determined, and some choice advocates say it would compromise the market in the state. Jason Geer,
LANSING - Clearing key legislation out of the Michigan House Energy Policy Committee last week was important to give the full House enough time with the bills so when the chamber returns from its Thanksgiving break, members will possibly be ready to vote, Rep. Aric Nesbitt, the committee chair, said Friday. The committee, last week, after
LANSING - Switch, a Nevada-based data storage center with international appeal, may be finding a place to locate at least a portion of its business on the west side of the state, and it may have help from the Michigan Legislature to do so. Six bills, three in the Michigan House and three in the
LANSING – Michigan has about $25 million leftover in federal funding to update its voting equipment from when it received federal funding through the Helping America Vote Act passed in 2002, but the state still needs another potentially $35 million to get its voting equipment ready for the November 2018 general election when current systems
LANSING - The Michigan Department of State will be unable to implement the vehicle registration fee changes Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law this week to raise funding for roads unless Hewlett Packard turns over the source code for the troubled information technology project to upgrade secretary of state online services, officials say. Attorneys for the
LANSING - Michigan revenues from its primary taxes fell slightly short in October, according to figures released Tuesday by the Senate Fiscal Agency, and ended the 2014-15 fiscal year $156 million short of estimates. While the initial estimate of $21.61 billion during the 2014-15 fiscal year is still a 3.1 percent increase from 2013-14, it
LANSING - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman announced Tuesday that the agency would conduct an audit of the Department of Environmental Quality drinking water program in response to the Flint drinking water crisis. The region will examine the department's implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and related rules on
