This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. The historic restart of a shuttered nuclear power plant is planned for later this year on the shores of Lake Michigan, and a northern Michigan energy cooperative is playing a major role. Last fall, the Biden administration finalized $1.3 billion in grants to two rural power cooperatives, as part of efforts to reopen the Palisades Nuclear Plant in southwest Michigan’s Covert Township.

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. This coverage is made possible in part through a partnership with Grist and Interlochen Public Radio in northern Michigan.

Federal monitors say parts of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are experiencing a drought. Dry weather and high winds mean there’s a higher chance of fire, according to the state Department of Natural Resources, which is asking people to be careful. The weekend brought some rain and cooler weather to the region, said Keith Murphy, a fire management specialist for the DNR in Marquette, and they have the situation under control.