Gretchen Whitmer

Built World

Committed Michigan as a funding partner

For more than a century, an artificial canal has linked the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. That link is how invasive carp could reach the Great Lakes. This week, crews lowered the first permanent piece of a barrier built to close that door.

Updated Jul 13

Rule Changes

Executive driver of shutdown effort

Two 20-inch oil pipelines have been pumping crude under the Straits of Mackinac since 1953, and Michigan has spent seven years trying to shut them down. On April 22, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that the company defending the pipelines, Canadian operator Enbridge, gets to fight that battle in federal court, not the state courthouse Michigan picked.

Updated May 31

Rule Changes

Signed PA 233 into law; facing legislative and legal pushback

For decades, Michigan townships controlled solar and wind siting until November 2023, when Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Public Act 233, empowering the Michigan Public Service Commission to override stricter local zoning rules. Nearly two years in, the law is operational with five projects under review, locals filing lawsuits, and counties like Huron rewriting ordinances to keep their seat at the table.

Updated May 29