Former Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat who served 36 years and rose to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee, died Thursday at the age of 87.
The Levin Center at Wayne State University in Detroit announced his death Thursday night, describing him as “a dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, and life-long public servant.”
His six Senate terms are the most that any Michigan senator has served.
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Four Great Lakes governors on Tuesday urged President Joe Biden to prioritize federal investments in water infrastructure.
In a letter sent to Biden, the governors lauded the American Rescue Plan Act’s $360 billion in direct aid to state and local governments that can be spent on water and sewer infrastructure.
“As your administration continues to develop and pursue its policy agenda, we respectfully encourage you to continue your emphasis on modernizing America’s water infrastructure,” readsthe letter.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took legal action Friday to shut down a pipeline that carries oil beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes.
Whitmer’s office notified Canadian company Enbridge Inc. that it was revoking an easement granted 67 years ago to extend a roughly 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of the pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac. The revocation takes effect in 180 days, when the flow of oil must stop.
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After a record-breaking 2019, the US Army Corps of Engineers reported in their April summary that all five Great Lakes will again see a higher-than-average water levels. Lake Erie leads the way in 2020 with levels topping nine inches over last year.
Records show that the Great Lakes are experiencing the highest water levels since 1986. Water levels on the Great Lakes – which are connected by above- and below-ground waterways – are cyclical with periods of low and high water. Each period may last for several years depending on the amount of precipitation, runoff, and evaporation that occurs.
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Despite deep budget cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency at large, the budget plan for 2021 proposed by President Trump grants full funding to protection programs for the Great Lakes.
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