An X Shore electric boat

Electric boats expected to make a splash in Michigan this year

ELECTRIC BOATS: Amid concerns about climate change, air quality, lakeside quality of life and future supplies of fossil fuels, more Michigan boaters are switching to electric-powered vessels which are quieter and less polluting.We hear from DNR, an Elk Rapids marina owner, is thinking about installing chargers WHERE. By Jack Timothy Harrison. FOR CLARE, GLADWIN, CRAWFORD COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY, BENZIE COUNTY, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY GREENVILLE, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY ALPENA, CADILLAC, PLANET DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, BIG RAPIDS AND ALL POINTS.

Digital rendering of residents of Veridian at County Farm at the community garden.

Developers seek to create solar neighborhood

SOLAR NEIGHBORHOOD: An Ann Arbor developer is building one of the first 100% solar-powered, carbon-neutral and fossil fuel-free communities in the U.S. The goal is to pioneer the creation of neighborhoods that limit their contribution to climate change. By Genevieve Fox. FOR PLANET DETROIT, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS

Line 5 carries nearly 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas daily from Superior, Wisconsin, through Michigan and on to Sarnia, Ontario.

Ice makes oil spills harder to detect, easier to contain

ICE & OIL SPILLS: What happens if oil spills under ice in freshwater? The question rises in prominence as controversy continues overEmbrudge’s Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac. We hear about Line 5 and an earlier Kalamazoo River pipeline spill from Enbridge, MSU, the Kalamazoo Watershed, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Ottawa Indians and Michigan Water Environment Association. By Cameryn Cass. FOR SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, BAY MILLS, MARQUETTE, CHEBOYGAN, TRAVERSE CITY, IRON RIVER, ALPENA AND ALL POINTS.

Study details impact of COVID-19 pandemic on energy bills 

ENERGY INSECURITY: Household energy bills rose after the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows, creating energy insecurity and leading to people looking for techniques for coping with finances and behavior, including reducing temperatures to an unsafe level. In Michigan, DTE Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Public Service Commission designed a process to provide energy efficiency education and assistance to those struggling with utility bills. We hear from DTE and a researcher. By Borjana Alia. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, PLANET DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Iron, salt and water could change power grid

BATTERIES: Batteries come in different sizes: AA, AAA, a 27 billion gallon reservoir of Lake Michigan water. Perhaps someday: a warehouse of iron, salt and water, basic ingredients for manufacturing iron-flow batteries. That technology could help pave the way for the Great Lakes region’s green energy future. The Institute for Energy Innovation produced an energy storage roadmap for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy in March. It set a minimum storage requirement of 4,000 megawatts by 2040. References the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant that can store nearly 2,000 megawatts. By Jake Christie. FOR LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! OCEANA, BENZIE, HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU AND ALL POINTS.

A University of Michigan graduate student tests out the electrification of a prototype aircraft aimed at reducing fuel consumption.

The future of sustainable aviation could be electric

AVIATION SUSTAINABILITY – A University of Michigan research team hopes to find ways to reduce the carbon emissions of aircraft by following the model of hybrid cars that use batteries and gasoline. One researcher predicts that the aviation industry could be responsible for 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Carbon dioxide is the largest greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. By Anastasia Pirrami. FOR PLANET DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Undergraduate researcher Michael Hillary measures a mussel.

University researchers rescue mussels from dams

MUSSEL RESCUE: Lake Superior State University is surveying U.P. river habitats, including the Menominee River, to learn how to rescue native mussels threatened by hydropower dams, with funding from the utility company We Energies. Hydropower dams can kill mussels by stranding them during water drawdown, and the project can help power companies better manage their reservoirs to protect native animals that live in them. We talk to the lead researcher and a DNR fisheries expert. By Nicoline Bradford. FOR SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, IRON MOUNTAIN and ALL POINTS.

Pigeon River Country State Forest, home of the Bluesource/DNR Big Wild Forest Carbon Project.

Carbon offsets: Success or scam?

CARBON OFFSETS: A DNR program that lets utilities such as DTE Energy and other businesses buy carbon offset credits is under fire from the Sierra Club, which labels it a scam. Carbon offsets involve allowing trees, which sequester climate-harming carbon, to grow longer and larger. Critics say Michigan’s program doesn’t always keep trees growing any longer than they already would under current harvest plans. They say it is far more effective to reduce carbon emissions that worsen climate change. The DNR defends the project underway in the Pigeon River State Forest north of Gaylord, the U.P.’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Charlevoix and Emmet counties. By Camryn Cass. FOR PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, MONTMORENCY, ALPENA, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, IRON MOUNTAIN, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, CRAWFORD COUNTY, ALCONA and ALL POINTS.