Issues of the Environment: City of Ann Arbor Working to Protect Trees from Damaging Natural Gas Leaks

At least 31 trees in Ann Arbor, Mich., are being killed or damaged by natural gas leaks, according to a new report commissioned by the city.

The report found that gas was damaging roots and the ground near the trees, Michigan Live reports.

The number of trees affected likely exceeds what was reported, but, overall, the report found DTE Energy's lines to be in well-maintained condition.

Ann Arbor would like to see the gas lines repaired immediately and changes made to infrastructure so that leaks like this are unlikely to happen, the city has a broader goal of weaning itself off of dependence on natural gas in order to meet ambitious climate change-mitigation goals.

"We found vegetation that had been killed," Missy Stults, Ann Arbor's sustainability and Innovations director, tells Michigan Live.

"The only discernible reason for that is the gas leaks in the system."

The city hired an expert to map every single road in Ann Arbor twice to measure natural gas leaks, then do a visual inspection of the tree canopy to see if leaks were correlating with killing vegetation, Stults says.

"We found notable cases," she adds.

"We did not find any major leaks on the systemreally catastrophic leaks, right, that need immediate instant repair Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Coalition for Mutual Aid in Sudan
Foundation: Gates Foundation, Global Fund for Women

Bill and Melinda Gates are putting their money where their mouth is to help people in Sudan. The two are among nine donors who have pledged $4.5 million to help local aid groups in the country,...more

Draghi Wants His Drug Cake and to Eat It Too

A new report from the European Central Bank is out, and it calls for price controls on prescription drugs to cut down on drug costs and spur innovation, the Wall Street Journal reports. The...more

Italy Consumer Morale Improves in September

Good news for Italy: Its consumer confidence index rose to 98.3 in September from an eight-month low of 96.1 in August, reports the Wall Street Journal. The sub-index of personal confidence rose...more

Risks of Competing Discourses of Scientific Responsibility in Global Ocean Futures

The future of our planet's oceans could be in jeopardy if we don't do more to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of...more

Esg Rating Overhaul Needed to Separate Risk from Opportunity: Aspire Impact'S Amit Bhatia

When Amit Bhatia quit his corporate job in 2007 to work on social and environmental issues, he created Aspire Impact and Aspire Circle. Now he's created Impact Ratings, and he wants to make it...more

The Future of Sustainable Investing: Esg, Sdgs, and the Role of Data

Prudential Financial's $2 trillion in assets under management is about to get a little more green. The company says it plans to invest more in companies that focus on social, economic, and...more

Impact Capital Managers Releases New Career Pathing Guide For Impact Investors

President Trump's tariff war with China appears to be just the opening salvo in what could be a long and bitter battle over trade between the world's two biggest economies, sources tell...more

Dutch Institutional Investors Lagging on Impact Investment Target, Says Nab Report

A new report from the Netherlands Advisory Board on impact investing finds that Dutch pension funds, asset managers, insurance companies, and banks are on track to invest at least 10% of their...more

Nab Report Calls for Increased Allocations to Impact Investing from Dutch Investors

A new report from the Netherlands Advisory Board on impact investing finds that Dutch pension funds, asset managers, insurance companies, and banks are on track to invest at least 10% of their...more

Experts Advocate Increased Funding for Women-Led Businesses

The World Economic Forum is calling for more investment in women-led businesses, the Telegraph reports. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, just 11% of venture capital deals in the...more





The Girl Scouts of the USA, with assistance from First Lady Michelle Obama, is launching an unconventional recruitment campaign designed at reversing a decline in participation by girls and adult volunteers.