Jim Malewitz
Investigative & roaming reporter for @TexasTribune, board member for @IowaWatch, husband, Detroit fan, baseball guy, up to 60% water. RTs = retweets.
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The oil industry vs. the electric car
Electric vehicles could make up nearly half the fleet of passenger cars and trucks by 2040. But oil and gas companies are striking back.
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Jim Malewitz
“The oil industry is trying to crush the booming electric car movement... waging a state-by-state, multimillion-dollar battle to squelch utilities’ plans to build charging stations.” politico.com/story/2019/09/… Via @GavinBade
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All eyes on Grand Traverse Bay as deadline looms for tribal fishing decree
A consent decree that carves out fishing rights in the Great Lakes for five Michigan tribes is set to expire next August and negotiations have yet to start with the state. The outcome could shape
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Jim Malewitz
ICYMI: An 1836 treaty guarantees 5 Native American tribes in Michigan the right to fish ancestral waters — free of state interference. A looming legal deadline is sparking questions about how MI and tribes will share Great Lakes resources in coming years.
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After The Deluge: Historic Floods Spell Trouble For Farmers, Rural Communities, The Nation
Even after record flooding in the Midwest, people with ties to the land — whose livelihoods depend on living close to waterways — don’t want to move.
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Jim Malewitz
“It’s almost like the Great Depression. People aren’t moving...They aren’t going anywhere. There’s no money to spend. Farming in this area is a big part of our economics. If the farmers aren’t doing well, no one’s doing well.” iowawatch.org/2019/08/25/aft… via @news21/@IowaWatch
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It’s not just Flint: Poverty is bad for your health in Michigan, study finds
As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer focuses on environmental justice, a new study by the University of Michigan maps ‘hot spots’ where low-income people of color are exposed to high levels of pollution.
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Jim Malewitz
A new @UMSEAS study maps "hotspots of environmental injustice" across Michigan. Kalamazoo, Kent and Wayne counties are home to most of the top census tracts where mostly low-income people of color are most vulnerable to pollution.
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Gov. Greg Abbott says he can keep plumbing board alive without special session
"We've got this," the governor tells plumbers worried as their profession faces deregulation next year in Texas.
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Jim Malewitz
Is there a better state government storyline than Texas accidentally erasing all of its plumbing regulations?
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Ban on banana-eating artwork draws ridicule in Poland
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's artists and opposition politicians are posting photos of themselves eating bananas in protest against the removal from a top national gallery of an art work...
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Jim Malewitz
“A collective banana-eating protest is planned Monday in front of the state-run museum.”
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Michigan’s political districts illegally gerrymandered, court rules
A three-judge panel finds that 34 districts were drawn in 2011 to benefit Republicans and orders special elections in 2020.
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Jim Malewitz
Federal panel rules Michigan GOP illegally gerrymandered 34 state House, Senate and Congressional districts.
Orders special elections for nine Senate districts and gives Lege till Aug 1 to redraw the rest.
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Detroit is Electric Motor City in a frenzied battle for auto engineering talent
Electric vehicle makers like Rivian and Bollinger, plus Ford's Corktown development bring jobs, money and investment to Southeast Michigan
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Jim Malewitz
"After years when Detroit was Ground Zero for skepticism about electric vehicles, the traditional auto industry’s hometown has become a hub of EV action."
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Michigan’s energy vulnerability exposed by natural gas scare, bitter cold
Two days of extreme cold and a Consumers Energy mishap forced Michigan into crisis that nearly disrupted the flow of energy to millions of customers. What happens next time? Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to know.
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Jim Malewitz
Michigan's natural gas scare during the polar vortex is a reminder of the importance of energy efficiency.
"Do you build more capacity so you can pump more gas — and send out more gas, or do you conserve?”
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Flint finds replacing lead pipes isn’t easy. Even when state promises to pay
Momentum has stalled, costs are rising dramatically, and state officials are threatening to halt funding for efforts to replace all of Flint’s water lead pipes.
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Jim Malewitz
ICYMI: Here was our recent look at Flint's efforts to replace all of its lead water service lines
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Federal shutdown halts EPA certification, raises hurdle for vehicles on way to market
The Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup that debuted at the Detroit auto show has not been certified that it meets pollution standards -- and can't go on sale
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Jim Malewitz
The shutdown also affects Michigan's auto industry. Carmakers say it has caused delays in the EPA’s ability to certify that new vehicles meet federal emissions standards before they can be sold.
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Environmentalists outraged Michigan warning about PFAS went unheeded
A state bureaucrat first raised concerns about the toxic chemicals in 2012. They’re now a full-blown crisis. Did the state move too slow?
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Jim Malewitz
Now in Grand Rapids: @SenGaryPeters holds a hearing on PFAS risks. Among notable witnesses, Robert Delaney, the Michigan DEQ superfund specialist who tried raising alarms about PFAS years ago. (Context bridgemi.com/michigan-envir…) EPA was invited, but declined to participate. pic.twitter.com/BO0BxpgQts
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Michigan ballot issues: What to know about Prop 3 (voting rights)
Proposal 3 ‒ aka Promote the Vote ‒ adds 7 voting reforms to Michigan’s constitution. We lay out the pros and cons, and the cash behind it. This is the last of three Bridge reports on Michigan ballot issues.
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Jim Malewitz
Straight-ticket voting, automatic registration, same-day registration, no-reason absentee voting.
Here's everything you need to know the ballot proposal to overhaul voting in Michigan. bridgemi.com/public-sector/… via @rbeggin
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I’ve Gone to Look for America. Here’s What I Found.
My column, This Land, spanned three presidencies and captured American moments, large and small, from each one of the 50 states.
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Jim Malewitz
A beautiful reflection from @DanBarryNYT after his many journeys across This Land. nyti.ms/2Oo21HE?smid=n… pic.twitter.com/gYNCArOxyg
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Michigan PFAS by the numbers: How much is unsafe?
Confusion runs rampant about PFAS dangers. The federal government and states can’t agree on how much is unsafe for states. Here’s a primer on what’s known so far.
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Jim Malewitz
NEW: Concerned about PFAS contamination but confused about how much is considered unsafe? We look at the many different advisories and standards swirling around
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Ann Arbor OKs new plan to reduce PFAS in city's drinking water
Ann Arbor officials are taking additional steps to ensure city residents are drinking safe water, spending another $850,000 to try to better filter out harmful PFAS chemicals.
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Jim Malewitz
Ann Arbor OKs $850,000 plan to reduce PFAS in city's drinking water mlive.com/news/ann-arbor… via @ryanjstanton
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Warned of Rising Seas, North Carolina Chose to Favor Development
The legislature passed a law in 2012 to ignore evidence of sharp long-term rises in sea level, so the state’s fragile coastline would go on booming.
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Jim Malewitz
“We were ready to step up to the plate and take a hard look at this long-term problem...And we blew it.”
Via @jswatz & @RichardFausset
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Schuette goes to bat for ExxonMobil; brief calls climate change ‘unsettled science’
Last month, the Michigan attorney general signed a court filing in support of energy giant that claims debate about global warming is still ‘raging’ among scientists. Spoiler alert: It’s not.
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Jim Malewitz
NEW: @SchuetteOnDuty signed onto legal briefs calling climate change an "unsettled area of science" & calling "debate" "raging"
But he tells us: "I understand the significance of global climate challenges and the responsibility... to lower CO2 emissions."
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Scorching Summer in Europe Signals Long-Term Climate Changes
Hot weather has touched all of the continent, but it has had the most impact in northern countries, unaccustomed to sustained heat, suggesting that hard years lie ahead.
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Jim Malewitz
“In Greenland, an iceberg may break off a piece so large that it could trigger a tsunami that destroys settlements on shore.”
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Michigan football saw Paris. The donor's family scored, too.
Alumnus Donald Graham helped pay for the U-M football team trip to France. Find out what his son's firm got before takeoff.
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Jim Malewitz
"This case raises questions about a conflict of interest. Is Michigan acting in the best interest of the university or in the interest of a donor?" freep.com/story/sports/c… More great accountability reporting from @reporterdavidj & @matthewsdolan
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