Keith Matheny

1 week ago | freep.com | Keith Matheny

The U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order requiring Consumers Energy to continue operation of the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive beyond its slated closure May 31. The Trump administration cited the potential for an energy emergency due to higher electricity demand this summer. But the MPSC says no such emergency exists.

2 weeks ago | freep.com | Keith Matheny

The Michigan DNR, in a decision they didn't announce to the general public, earlier this month announced a continued pause on leases of state-managed forest lands for utility-scale solar projects. DNR officials said they will work on a framework with community and state lawmaker input for future consideration of siting solar power projects.

2 weeks ago | freep.com | Keith Matheny

A new study finds Detroit is among 25 populous U.S. cities who experience subsidence, their land sinking. In Detroit, the subsidence is caused by the ground relaxing after the weight of the glaciers in the last Ice Age more than 10,000 years ago. It's not something you'll notice if you step outside, but the city of Detroit is sinking, as are dozens more of the most populous cities in the U.S., a new study finds.

3 weeks ago | freep.com | Keith Matheny

Wayne Disposal Inc., one of the largest hazardous waste landfills in the country, is seeking to further expand its facility in Wayne County's Van Buren Township. The landfill's acceptance of toxic waste from a 2023 Ohio train derailment, and plans to take radioactive wastes from a World War II-era atomic bomb development facility in New York, have raised ire.

3 weeks ago | freep.com | Keith Matheny

Mercury, PFAS and other harmful pollutants have for years emanated off the BASF Wyandotte plant's property through groundwater into the Detroit RiverThe company is working with U.S. EPA on a comprehensive fix to stop the problem, but construction isn't slated to start until 2027. The city of Wyandotte's drinking water intake pipe is very near the site of the venting contamination, but testing over years has shown the water is safe, city officials said.