(DIMONDALE) – The state broke ground Friday on a public health and environmental science laboratory that will be shared among the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO).

U.S. Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups are asking the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to lighten up on the scientific jargon when explaining permitting issues to the general public.

An electroplating chemical spill in Warren’s Bear Creek drain and the spotting of a “mysterious corrosive ooze” seeping out of the ground of a former steel facility in Riverview were propped up as examples by environmentalists and local officials as reasons for new polluter pay laws in Michigan.

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved on Friday a plan by Enbridge to replace the segment of the Line 5 pipeline crossing the Straits of Mackinac with a concrete tunnel, on the condition that the replacement will undergo additional safety testing and standards.

Bills HB 5120 and HB 5121, which would allow the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to certify large-scale wind, solar and energy storage developments – and simultaneously barring local governments from regulating developments stricter than state standards – moved to the Senate floor Tuesday.