News

MDEQ Supervisor of Wells issues Oil and Gas Instruction

According to a press release issued by Citizens for Oil-Free Backyards, earlier this week the Supervisor of Wells, Harold R. Fitch, issued an instruction concerning the regulation of oil and gas drilling in high population density areas. The instruction, aptly named Oil and Gas Development in High Population Density Areas, is an important legislative step… Read more »

As oil wells enter neighborhoods, townships push back

This week, the Detroit Free Press published an interesting article detailing some of the conflict related to the drilling that happened in Shelby and Scio Townships this past summer. Jim Olson, FLOW’s President and Founder, was interviewed for the article and in it talks about the rights and abilities of local governments in relation to oil… Read more »

As Oil Wells Enter Neighborhoods, Townships Push Back

By Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press February 5, 2015 (Photo: Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press) Jamie Calaguas mostly remembers the noise. The grinding, whining, constant hum of industrial activity — but not from a factory. The clamor was coming from the 109-foot oil well West Bay Exploration was drilling outside her back door. In a residential… Read more »

6 Counties Cut from Proposed ET Rover Pipeline Route

6 Counties Cut from Proposed ET Rover Pipeline Route By Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press  February 2, 2015 (Photo: Energy Transfer) A large natural-gas transmission pipeline proposed for construction through southeast Michigan will now impact far fewer counties. A deal with an existing pipeline operator means the ET Rover pipeline will no longer be built… Read more »

KOEHN: Michigan citizens deserve full transparency from Enbridge

A great article calling for full transparency from Enbridge and the State in relation to the Line 5 oil pipelines, written by Sarah Koehn (a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, and the policy intern at West Michigan Environmental Action Council), was recently published in the Grand Haven Tribune. She concludes: “The people of Michigan… Read more »

Give Michigan townships a say in oil and gas drilling

A great article written by Christine Green, a trustee of Scio Township, was published this week in Bridge Magazine. She calls for the restoration of townships’ zoning authority, and points out that, “Cities and villages, no matter what their size, may exercise full zoning power over drilling, but townships of any size cannot. What’s the rationale?… Read more »

Detroit water shutoffs must end

BRIDGE News and analysis from The Center for Michigan Detroit water shutoffs must end 2 December 2014 by Jim Olson Detroit’s emergency manager filed for bankruptcy in July 2013 to force creditors to negotiate a bankruptcy plan that would slash the city’s unwieldy debt. Last month, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit approved a plan… Read more »

Hawaii River Restorations Reflect National Desire to Protect Water for Public Benefit

  Hawaii River Restorations Reflect National Desire to Protect Water for Public Benefit TUESDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2014 16:25 Using public trust doctrine, communities restore streams diverted for more than 100 years. Photo courtesy Jan Arendtsz via Flickr Creative Commons Water restored to natural rivers will help support fields of Hawaii’s traditional and culturally important taro… Read more »

State Urged to Get Involved at Line 5

By Paul Gingras of the St. Ignace News Oct. 9, 2014 www.stignacenews.com/news/2014-10-09/Front_Page/State_Urged_to_Get_Involved_at_Line_5.html Citizens called on Governor Rick Snyder Monday, October 6, to exert state authority to prevent a potentially catastrophic oil spill from Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 petroleum pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Increased conveyance of petroleum products and the potential for heavier forms… Read more »

Minimizing Risk

Ken Winter October 3, 2014 COLUMNS Ken Winter Minimizing Risk October 3, 2014 MACKINAC ISLAND–Some 75 braved harsh rains earlier this month to gather at the Island’s Community Center to learn the hard realities should nearby Enbridge’s aging oil and gas Pipeline #5 break in the Great Lakes, especially near the Mackinac Bridge. The troubling… Read more »