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Gretchen Whitmer

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor of Michigan

Appears in 4 stories

Born: 1971 (age 54 years), Lansing, MI
Party: Democratic Party
Previous offices: Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate (2011–2015), Member of the Michigan Senate (2006–2015), Michigan State Representative (2003–2006), and more
Spouse: Dr. Marc Mallory (m. 2011)
Parents: Sherry Whitmer and Richard Whitmer

Stories

Michigan pauses road construction for Labor Day weekend

Built World

In office; champion of the Rebuilding Michigan program

Michigan drivers get a holiday break from construction barrels. MDOT is lifting lane restrictions on 91 of its 156 active road projects, starting 3 p.m. Friday and running through 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Updated 2 hours ago

Great Lakes carp barrier begins in-water testing near Chicago

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

Enbridge Line 5 pipeline shutdown fight

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

Michigan's renewable energy siting law shifts power from townships to state regulators

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