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.
Halliburton is the only company that has refused to voluntarily provide the Environmental Protection Agency with key information about its hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” operations. As a result, the EPA announced Tuesday that it will force the company to comply with its request.
In September, the EPA sent voluntary information requests to nine hydraulic fracturing service companies. The agency requested information on the chemicals injected into the ground to loosen natural gas buried deep under the earth’s surface, as well as information on the affects of the chemicals on human health and the environment.
Eight of the nine companies either complied with the request or made commitments to comply. Halliburton did not; as a result, the EPA has subpoenaed the company for the information.
The data is essential for completing a congressionally mandated study on fracking. The agency hopes to finish the study by 2012. The study is expected to be the basis for future regulation of the controversial practice.
Environmentalists have long criticized fracking, arguing that the chemicals used to extract the natural gas can find their way into drinking water. They have also raised questions about the lack of transparency about what kind and what amounts of chemicals are used in the practice. Many fracking companies refuse to reveal the specific mixture of chemicals they use, arguing that the information is proprietary.
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