Consumers Energy plans to build new coal plant on wetlands, groups warn

A coalition of environmental groups is asking state and federal regulators to take a careful look at the potential wetlands impact of a coal-fired power plant planned by Consumers Energy along Saginaw Bay.

Army Corps ups the voltage at barrier against invasive carp

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has doubled the voltage at the electric barrier that is the last line of defense against the giant, flying Asian carp that threaten to take over Lake Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reports. The move is a response to a recent study that detected DNA from the carp in [...]

Municipal water from Saginaw Bay slated for dioxin testing

The municipal water systems for Bay City, Saginaw and Midland are slated to be screened for dioxin next week as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency effort to address citizen concerns that ongoing navigational dredging in the Saginaw River threatens the region’s water supplies.

EPA downplays dredging risk to Bay City water supply

Nearly a month after the onset of a navigational dredging project in the Saginaw River that some worry will send dioxin-contaminated sediments downstream toward the intakes for Bay City’s water supply, EPA officials responded to citizen concerns by announcing it would not test the water for the toxin.

“I can understand why people would be concerned,“ EPA Superfund manager Wendy Carney, said in a phone interview. “But there are a lot of issues out there.”

Saginaw River dredging project begins without safety measures sought by the state

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started a project to remove contaminated sediments from the Saginaw River without safety measures requested by the state, a move that sparked worry because toxins such as dioxin could make their way into the water supplies for Saginaw and Bay City, which don’t test for the toxins.

Beware of stimulus for Army Corps, say green groups

Obama plan may fund new Soo lock and Saginaw River dredging opposed by environmentalists

Army Corps to dump dioxin in unlined pit

Dow’s clout hinders cleanup efforts, critics say Politics at both state and federal levels has interfered with regulation of dioxin contamination from Dow Chemical, critics say. After the behind-the-scenes intervention of Lt. Gov. John Cherry late last month, state environmental regulators backed down on their objections to a dioxin disposal plan proposed by the Army [...]