Monthly Archives: March 2016

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) today announced a parity policy effective April 1 for the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. This change will impact customers traveling from the U.S. into Canada paying with Canadian currency (CAD)

Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointments to the new 21st Century Infrastructure Commission, which was created by Executive Order 2016-5 to identify long-term strategies to help ensure Michigan’s infrastructure remains safe and efficient now and into the future.

Locals and tourists in South Haven will be able to enjoy a well-maintained historic icon for years to come thanks to a Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grant. The Historical Association of South Haven (HASH) will receive $60,000 to continue its work to preserve and protect the South Pier Light, Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Executive Director Kevin Elsenheimer and State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway announced.

Results from round three of Sentinel Site water testing in Flint show a consistent and similar improvement compared to the first round of tests, Gov. Rick Snyder said today. The state continues to monitor and test water at over 600 residential Sentinel Sites which are providing regular data on the quality of the water distribution system throughout the city. These results help to determine if current treatments are appropriately recoating the pipes to prevent the leaching of lead and also highlight where there may be issues of continued concern.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, applauded the United States Department of Agriculture’s announcement of a new initiative to improve water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin. The Initiative – led by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service – will complement ongoing conservation efforts in the region and invest more than $40 million in the watershed over the next three years. That funding is in addition to the $36 million USDA has already made available through the 2014 Farm Bill for a total of $77 million.

Improvements to the city of Grand Rapids’ wastewater treatment facility have earned the city a $214,434 incentive payment from Consumers Energy. Dan Malone, the company’s senior vice president of energy resources, presented the $214,434 incentive check to Mayor Rosalynn Bliss and city commissioners this morning at Grand Rapids City Hall. The city has received nearly $740,000 in incentive payments since 2009.

You have to go back 18 years to find the last time Consumers Energy charged as little for natural gas, a success story that continues to put money into the pockets of Michigan business owners and residents

Consumers Energy has named Shaun Johnson as vice president and deputy general counsel, reporting to Catherine Reynolds, senior vice president and general counsel, effective April 18, 2016. Johnson's primary responsibilities will be overseeing the litigation, general practice and federal energy regulatory practice groups and providing legal oversight for business development activities.

An independent task force appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to examine the Flint water crisis released its comprehensive report today. “When this task force came together I asked them to be completely unbiased in determining how the Flint water crisis occurred,” Snyder said. “I also requested they focus on how we prevent any situation like this from occurring in the future and I appreciate their thorough recommendations.

Statement of Arthur Horwitz, Co-chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, in response to the final report of the Flint Water Advisory Task Force that was released on Wednesday, March 23

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today issued the following statement after a task force appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder released its final report on the Flint water crisis, finding that the state of Michigan bears the responsibility for the man-made crisis

Congressman Dan Kildee today spoke at the White House Water Summit on the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich., and the need to invest in America’s aging infrastructure to ensure that all Americans have access to safe drinking water. Below is a transcript of Congressman Kildee’s conversation with Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality

The Michigan Gaming Control Board today granted necessary approvals for MGM Resorts International (MGM), the parent of MGM Grand Detroit, LLC, to move forward with its proposal to reorganize and move certain real property into a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is proposing to strengthen the drinking water clean-up standard for 1,4-Dioxane by a factor of 10 in a new rules package under consideration by the agency. The more protective standard is based on new calculations completed by the DEQ using a science-based process, including current EPA toxicity data and Michigan-specific exposure factors. The new rule would change the 1,4-Dioxane drinking water standard in Michigan from 85 parts per billion (ppb) to 7.2 ppb.

Country music singer/songwriter Jimmy Wayne, whose songs, story and walk halfway across America continue to raise awareness of the plight of foster children and the homeless, will deliver the luncheon keynote speech April 25 at the 2016 Building Michigan Communities Conference at the Lansing Center.