I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Nestle wants to expand bottling by almost a third — despite concerns by environmentalists.
A spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality says that a new well planned by the Nestle corporation will add more than 200,000 gallons per day to the company’s bottling operation.
Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation attorney Jim Olson said that the Circuit and Appellate courts have affirmed MCWC’s claim that Nestle’s water pumping has already damaged the watershed around the company’s well in Mecosta County.
“Based on the hydrogeologic impact analysis [of the new well in Evart] I would expect there would be a similar adverse impact to the upper reaches of Twin Creek,” Olson said.
Pumping in Mecosta County has narrowed the Dead Stream, diminished fishing and other recreational uses, and upset nearby landowners and water users.
Nestle currently pumps up to 800 gallons of water per minute from two wells owned by the city of Evart, a rural mid-Michigan town along U.S. Highway 10 in Osceola County. This water is moved by truck to a bottling facility in Stanwood, 39 miles away.
The new well, located at Spring Hill Bible Camp, is owned by Nestle and has a capacity of 150 gallons per minute. Nestle has applied for a permit to install a pipeline to move water from this well to the company water loading facility in Evart.
According to DEQ spokesman Bob McCann, last year Nestle bottled 667,000 gallons per day at its Stanwood plant. The water is sold under the Ice Mountain brand.
The Great Lakes Compact passed by the state House and Senate but not yet enacted regulates out-of-state water transfers but exempts export of bottled water.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter