The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seeks to approve a request from Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to redesignate what qualifies as safe ozone levels in the Detroit region. 

The change would redesignate the region as meeting federal ozone standards after years of strict standards.

EPA Regional Administrator Anne Vogel says the change is partially due to reductions in air pollution. “Redesignations lead to faster and more predictable air permitting processes, while existing pollution controls continue to drive improvements in air quality,” Vogel says. 

Environmental advocates like Nick Leonard disagree. Leonard is executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center.

He says ozone air pollution in the region is still above the health-based standard set by the EPA. 

“It’s been consistently above the air quality standard for the past 10 years,” Leonard says. “The EPA is nonetheless justifying its decision to find that air quality is attaining the standard… because they’re pinning the blame for a few high ozone days on wildfire smoke from the last few years.”

Officials say the change will ease the permitting process for industrial projects, which could help the region’s economy. 

Public comment on the proposal is open until Aug. 27.

Enbridge is a step closer to building a new oil tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac for its Line 5 after the state of Michigan approved permits for the project last week.

Line 5 runs 645 miles from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario, carrying crude and natural gas liquids. Most of it transits Michigan to reach Canada.

Enbridge and the state say a concrete tunnel would get the 73-year-old pipeline out of open water, where a rupture could spill into the Straits of Mackinac.

But the permit concedes some of what is at stake. Historic and cultural resources will likely be destroyed — the remains of tribal ancestors among them. Enbridge has to file a plan to lessen the damage. Environmental activists and Michigan tribal communities say that is not enough.

In a statement to The Metro, Enbridge said it respects the cultural and historic significance of the Straits and is committed to protecting cultural resources. The company said its surveys were directed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that tribal representatives have been consulting parties in that process, and that more cultural survey work is scheduled for 2027.

The Straits are where the Bay Mills Indian creation story begins. They are also among the most productive fishing grounds for tribes exercising rights under an 1836 treaty.

Whitney Gravelle is a federal Indian law attorney and president of the Bay Mills Indian Community, which has vowed to fight back. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss why she calls the state’s decision a betrayal.

This story has been updated with a statement from Enbridge. -Ed

Enbridge is a financial supporter of WDET. The WDET newsroom observes a clear boundary between funders and editorial content, and does not serve the agendas of financial supporters.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org.

More stories from The Metro

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has issued an air quality alert for the state of Michigan. That’s due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.  

The air quality can harm those who are unhealthy or sensitive groups… potentially reaching the unhealthy range. EGLE has published a page for resources on how to respond to wildfire smoke. 

The state’s health department advises people to limit outdoor activity by monitoring the air quality in their area. They also recommend sheltering indoors with air conditioning — and to find a shelter if it’s too hot at home. People can call 211 to find a local shelter.  

Visit michigan.gov/egle for more information.  

Invest in MI Taxes  

Some Michigan lawmakers are backing a joint resolution to have voters decide whether the state’s highest earners should pay more in taxes. The proposal seeks to change an extra 5% tax on annual income above half a million dollars for single filers or a million dollars for joint filers. The extra revenue would go toward health, housing and education.

Democratic State Senator Stephanie Chang says the money could come in handy as economists predict tough years ahead for the state budget.  “I think its important that as lawsmakers we keep talking about those priorities and also talk about how if we make the wealthy pay their fair share, we can create another revenue source that can help generate over a billion dollars.”  

Republicans and business groups claim the plan increases taxes for small businesses — organizers say that’s not true. It would take supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature to get the measure on the ballot.  

-Reporting by Colin Jackson

DTE outage response

Days after severe storms interrupted service for thousands of DTE Energy customers, the head of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) says the company’s response could have been better.  
Commission Chairman Dan Scripps says DTE’s own restoration estimates fed into people’s frustrations.  

“There were a number of problems with the restoration estimates. They were off… and sometimes significantly. And not just the level of communication that you’d expect from a utility to its customers.”  

Scripps spoke with WDET’s Robyn Vincent on The Metro. He says MPSC received higher-than-normal public complaints after the storms.  

DTE’s chief executive apologized to customers last week, saying the company will review its response and try to do better.  

DTE Energy is a financial supporter of WDET.  

-Reporting by Pat Batcheller

Chinatown Block Party 

The Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee is hosting its second annual block party in Detroit on Cass and Peterboro Streets. The event corresponds with the 2023 demolition of the former Chinese Merchants Association Building, which also housed several Chinese organizations. Community members opposed the demolition of Detroit’s Historic Chinatown.  

Lisa Yee-Litzenberg is a volunteer member of the committee. She says the block party and commemoration is an effort to create a safe space, a Pan-Asian district in Detroit. 

“This is an opportunity for people to celebrate and feel pride about their culture and their history, but also for people from all walks of life to come and learn about the culture, the history of different Asian groups in the Detroit metro area, so that’s a big.”  

Yee-Litzenberg says her father Henry Yee was the former unofficial mayor of Detroit’s Chinatown in the 1960s and 1970s.  

Last year, Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang announced one million dollars in funding to create a streetscape in the Chinatown district to recognize the contributions of Asian Americans. 

The free Detroit Chinatown Block Party takes place Saturday, July 25, from noon to 8 p.m. The event will feature historical exhibitions, performances and food from over 50 vendors. There will also be free film screenings at the Masonic Temple featuring the movies “Bad Axe” and “Warren King: King of Cardboard.”  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

A former Detroit Police sergeant accused of raping six women and girls will stand trial. The Detroit Free Press reports Benjamin Wagner faces 20 charges, including criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. 

Prosecutors allege that he committed the crimes between 1999 and 2003, attacking females ranging from 14 to 23 years old. He was charged in March, based on DNA evidence from a rape kit that sat in storage for years. The survivors testified against Wagner at his preliminary hearing. 

His lawyer argued some of their stories had changed over the years. A judge ruled that enough evidence exists to let a jury decide.  

Additional headlines for Tuesday, May 19, 2026

DHS may end TPS for Burmese refugees

The Department of Homeland Security wants to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese refugees. TPS allows those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country to live and work in the U.S. 

TPS status was granted when the U.S. declared the mass killings of the Rohingya people a decade ago to be genocide. A federal judge postponed the effort to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese refugees. DHS claimed conditions were safe enough for refugees to return.  

Detroit sidewalk repairs

The city currently has a backlog of 6,300 sidewalk repair requests. Some residents have been waiting up to five years for a response. 

Detroit City Council approved an $8 million contract two weeks ago to fix the sidewalks and allocated an additional $1.5 million in carry-over funds from the previous budget. 

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield says when she was on city council, she constantly received questions about sidewalk repairs. “Oftentimes I think we think about big developments and big investments that residents want and deserve in their neighborhoods, but it’s also about simple quality of life things like lights and sidewalks that residents deserve to get addressed.” 

Officials say the backlog should be cleared by the end of this construction season. The city is now taking requests for 2027.  

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Chemical clean up

Monsanto and the state of Michigan have reached a settlement to help pay for cleaning up PCB contamination. 

PCBs are a class of chemicals that had a wide range of industrial uses before they were banned. They’re linked to cancer, weakened immune systems and neurological disfunction, among other things. 

PCBs are particularly troublesome because they persist in the environment and build up in the food chain. For example, the state has had to issue advisories warning people not to eat certain types of fish because of contamination.

Attorney General Dana Nessel says Monsanto has agreed to pay somewhere between $108 million and $240 million once the settlement is paid in full. As part of the deal, Monsanto does not acknowledge any wrongdoing.

It will be up to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Department of Natural Resources to develop cleanup plans. 

-Reporting by Rick Pluta

Local governments prepare to spend opioid settlement money

Local governments in Michigan are sitting on $176 million from the nationwide opioid settlement. The attorney general’s office reports that cities, townships, and counties have spent less than 20% of the money they’ve received since checks started going out in 2023. The funds are supposed to help communities reduce drug overdoses and deaths. An adviser to the Michigan Association of Counties tells Bridge Michigan some local governments are preparing to spend part of that money this year.

Last year, Michigan recorded the fewest drug-related deaths since 2013. 

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Candidates planning to run in Michigan’s August primary election had until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to file their paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office.  That includes a few new candidates who filed at the last minute.  

Detroit City Councilmember Mary Waters filed to run in the Democratic primary for the 13^th Congressional District.  She faces incumbent Shri Thanedar, state Representative Donovan McKinney and realtor John Goci.  

The State Board of Canvassers still has to approve the candidates’ petition signatures before they can appear on the August primary ballot. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Leland House up for auction 

Downtown Detroit’s Leland House apartment building is up for auction.  The Detroit News reports that bidding for the building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will start next week.  

The Leland House was built in 1927 and served as a luxury hotel for many years, before being turned into an apartment complex.  Tenants were forced out of the building late last year, after the owner declared bankruptcy, and the city declared the building uninhabitable. 

Clean air hearing tonight 

Michigan regulators are holding a public hearing tonight to discuss metro Detroit’s air quality status.  Planet Detroit is reporting that state regulators want to declare that southeast Michigan is meeting federal ozone standards.  If approved, the action could weaken clean air standards in the area.  

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will hold the virtual meeting at 6 p.m. tonight.  You can call call 855-758-1310 to attend and use code 847 4896 8640  or you can join the meeting on Zoom.  

Pistons Game 2 preview 

The Detroit Pistons will try to rebound from a loss in their first game of the NBA playoffs.  The Orlando Magic beat them Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.  The Pistons brought the best regular season record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference to the playoffs, but that didn’t stop the Magic from taking the first game.  

Cade Cunningham had 39 points in the loss.  Game 2 in the nationally-televised best-of-seven series takes place at Little Caesars Arena tonight at 7 p.m. 

NFL Draft starts Thursday 

The Detroit Lions are making their final preparations for this week’s NFL Draft.  The team has the 17^th pick in the first round of the draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh.  

Football analysts suggest the Lions could use that pick to get an offensive lineman, edge rusher or cornerback.  The first round of the NFL draft starts at 8 p.m. Thursday.  The event will be televised live on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.