energy and environmental policy

Publication

More Michigan communities developing renewable energy goals, CLOSUP survey finds

Jul 17, 2024

The percentage of Michigan local governments that say they have or are considering renewable energy goals has doubled since 2019. Local officials also report that a variety of energy issues, such as energy infrastructure zoning and planning for elect...

More Michigan communities developing renewable energy goals, CLOSUP survey finds

Publication

Most local officials support rooftop solar, a majority opposes nuclear power

May 22, 2024

Michigan’s local leaders overwhelmingly support adding rooftop solar infrastructure in their communities, while a majority strongly oppose developing nuclear power. Those are among the key findings in the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey conducte...

Most local officials support rooftop solar, a majority opposes nuclear power

MPPS in the news

Birmingham pilots survey on recycling

Apr 24, 2024 Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

The city of Birmingham recently launched a new survey on Engage Birmingham that encourages residents to share their understanding of the city’s recycling program, their interest in recycling and how they think Birmingham can improve in this area. The...

News

Michigan environmental leaders analyze CLOSUP recycling report

Apr 9, 2023

The Center for Local, State and Urban Policy released a new report that polled local officials on issues related to recycling as part of the Michigan Local Recycling Policy Project. The Capital News Service gathered reactions from across the state. ...

Michigan environmental leaders analyze CLOSUP recycling report

News

Michigan local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 15, 2023

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green”, according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the state. The survey, a special wave of the M...

Publication

North American Colloquium publishes eight reports on climate policy analysis after a year of collaborative work

Apr 29, 2022

The North American Colloquium (NAC) is a forum that strengthens a wider North American conversation and more fruitful trilateral cooperation between Canada, Mexico and the U.S., led by the International Policy Center at the University of Michigan’s F...

North American Colloquium publishes eight reports on climate policy analysis after a year of collaborative work

News

Michigan's local leaders express importance of recycling as state has fallen behind national average

Mar 17, 2022

The majority of Michigan local leaders report recycling is somewhat or very important to their community members, with 65% of officials from the state's largest jurisdictions saying recycling issues are very important in their communities, according ...

In the Media

Hanson comments on risks of Line 5 pipeline

May 19, 2021 The Globe and Mail

For years, the Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac has been a hot topic in Michigan politics. Jonathon Hanson, a Ford School lecturer, shed light on the potential consequences of continuing to allow the pipeline to exist. “You think abo...

Hanson comments on risks of Line 5 pipeline

News

U-M survey: More than half of Michigan's local governments have developed energy plans

Oct 7, 2020 Michigan News

More than half of local government officials in Michigan see improving energy efficiency for local businesses or residents as relevant to their jurisdiction's government, according to a survey by the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban P...

U-M survey: More than half of Michigan's local governments have developed energy plans

MPPS in the news

More than half of Michigan local governments have implemented energy plans, U-M survey finds

Oct 7, 2020 State of Michigan, Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

News

U-M survey finds strong interest among Michigan communities in sustainability and energy collaborations

Sep 30, 2020

Few local governments in Michigan report collaborating with another community on energy and sustainability issues, but nearly half expressed interest in teaming up with others to pursue opportunities, according to survey results released today by the...

In the Media

It’s the Economy Stupid, and It Needs A Green New Deal

Jul 9, 2020 Resilience

In the Media

Survey: More Local Gov't Pushing Stronger Environmental Policies

Jan 17, 2020 Gongwer

News

New undergrad politics, policy course offers opportunities to work with survey research data

Jun 28, 2016

Caption: Michigan State Capitol BuildingCredit: Photo by Matt Katzenberger, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) is offering a new undergraduate course for students looking for opportunities to work with survey resear...

In the Media

US agency finds no widespread fracking impact on drinking water

Jun 4, 2015 Financial Times

In the Media

Most Americans support renewable energy standards

Jun 3, 2015 Phys.org

Working Papers

Renewable Energy in Iowa

December 15, 2025

Noel Boland , Makenna Litteral, Dewa Made Dwi Parmana, University of Michigan

Historically, Iowa has been an energy leader in the United States, producing more energy than the state consumes and exporting the excess. However, this leadership has not been driven by strong or evolving statutory climate mandates, but rather by a ...

Working Papers

Nevada: Renewable Energy Policy Landscape

December 15, 2025

John Blake, Danielle Levy, Kunjal Parnami, Gol-Dann Slater, University of Michigan

Nevada, the Silver State, has long been shaped by risk-takers. From mining booms and railroad expansion to military installations and the legalization of gambling, the state has repeatedly leveraged unconventional strategies to drive economic growth ...

Student Working Papers

For What It's Worth

October 16, 2024

Katelyn Jasmin, University of Michigan

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a fairly secluded place. It’s almost like its own world, often feeling detached from the rest of the country and even from the Lower Peninsula of the same state. We’re so under the radar that non-Michiganders can fo...

Student Working Papers

Proceed With Caution

June 14, 2024

Katelyn Jasmin, University of Michigan

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I don’t feel fine. As a child, I saw the world as a place filled with pure happiness. It’s as though a bright, golden hue illuminated from everything I saw. I thought that no harm could fester in this para...

MPPS

Close Up on the U.P.

September 2023

Debra Horner, Mia Brodeur, Katelyn Jasmin, Tristin Smith, Joseph Hubert

CLOSUP has partnered with the University of Michigan UP Scholars program and the online newsletter Rural Insights to use results from the Michigan Public Policy Survey to understand the unique experiences of local governments in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.