Michigan Environmental Council

08/31/2026

“In an unprecedented proximity to Lake Superior, visible from the region’s most iconic overlooks, the proposed mine poses significant risk to fresh water."

MLive.com quoted our Land & Water Conservation Policy Manager on the dire threats posed by the funding recently awarded to Highland Copper to proceed with their Copperwood Mine - disastrously located directly next to the Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior.

Read more here:
https://www.mlive.com/news/2026/08/up-copper-mine-secures-50m-from-michigan-after-several-failed-attempts.html

Highland Copper, a Canadian company, plans to construct a $425 million mine near the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Gogebic County.

08/26/2026

As demand from A.I. data centers continues to grow, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is taking a closer look at how those facilities connect to the electric grid and who bears the associated costs.

📣 Tell FERC to maintain high standards evaluating these frameworks, and protect American households from hidden costs: sc.org/FERCdatacenters

08/26/2026

💧49 states have septic laws in place - so why doesn't Michigan???

Learn why, and what the Environmental Council is doing about it in our latest enviro-explainer, courtesy of our water policy expert Reese.

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HLO_PF4HIU

08/25/2026

Today, the Environmental Council testified to oppose funding for the perilously located Copperwood Mine. The mine would sit directly next to two of Michigan's greatest natural resources: Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains.

Unfortunately, $50 million in taxpayer money was approved for the mine.

In our Land & Conservation Policy Manager's testimony, she reminded the committee that "Outdoor recreation contributes over $15B annually to Michigan’s economy, while mining contributes less than $1B annually. The Copperwood Mine only plans to operate for 11 years, but Lake Superior and the surrounding forests will far outlast that. Investing in Michigan means investing in clean air, water and places we love, not extractive mining.”

The Environmental Council will continue our fight to protect Michigan's places we love, and to keep the Copperwood Mine out of our state.

08/24/2026

Thank you to our wonderful community for making our 28th Annual Milliken Award Celebration a resounding success!

Last Thursday, we gathered to celebrate Lois DeBacker and her outstanding contributions to Michigan’s environmental landscape. The energy in the room was a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together.

We extend our sincere gratitude to DTE Energy for their generous support in bringing this event to life.

Pictured here, DeBacker rings the Milliken bell alongside William Milliken Jr and our President & CEO Conan Smith.

08/19/2026

Can you imagine Michigan without Arcadia Dunes?

Thanks to Lois DeBacker, we don't have to. Without her foresight while leading environmental programs at Mott Foundation, this iconic coastline could have been left for development.

Here, Glen Chown from the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy breaks down how Lois’ crucial support at the foundation protected this piece of Michigan forever.

We’re celebrating her incredible legacy at the Milliken Award Celebration tomorrow night! Big thanks to the Mott Foundation for making this special event possible.

https://environmentalcouncil.org/event-post/28th-annual-milliken-award-celebration/

08/17/2026

Before we honor Lois DeBacker at this Thursday’s Milliken Award Celebration, hear directly from her on how environmental justice shaped her groundbreaking work at the Kresge Foundation.

We can’t wait to celebrate her legacy at U of M’s Rogel Ballroom in Ann Arbor!

Huge gratitude to the The Kresge Foundation for being a Superior Sponsor and making this evening possible.

https://environmentalcouncil.org/event-post/28th-annual-milliken-award-celebration/

08/07/2026

Michigan ratepayers deserve transparency, not closed-door utility deals.

Along with our partners at Earthjustice, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, and NRDC, we’re appealing the state's decision to approve DTE’s massive new data center in Saline.

Our main concerns:

-It was done in secret: Regulators fast-tracked DTE's deal without holding public hearings—ignoring thousands of public comments and state leaders.

-It puts ratepayers at risk: DTE is spending over $500 million on infrastructure for this single center. Much of that massive cost could end up on your electric bill, based on hidden financial details no one was allowed to inspect.

Read more here:
https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2026/08/sierra-club-nrdc-and-mec-ask-court-overturn-rushed-approval-dte-s-oracle

08/06/2026

A required tunnel permit was just struck down by the Michigan Supreme Court; but the Whitmer administration approved two other permits; and yet two more are still pending. Then there's Nessel v. Enbridge and Enbridge v. Whitmer, and a new court decision in the Bad River Band's Line 5 case in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, there's a major election coming up, and Line 5 is a big issue.

🤯 What the heck is going on?!

Let's unpack it all together at our 👉 live webinar 👈 on August 20 📌. We've assembled a super-group of legal and advocacy experts, and we have *a lot* to talk about — and we'll take your questions.

08/05/2026

Huge congrats to our members Support Detroit Transit!