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Nibi Chronicles: The nation-to-nation fight against extractivism

Ricky DeFoe can tell you all you need to know about fresh water on Earth in one minute or less. He rattles off that “70% of our planet — our Mother Earth is water. Ninety-seven percent of that water is saltwater. That leaves just 3% freshwater — 1% is in the atmosphere, 1% is subsurface, and 1% is on the surface.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/nibi-chronicles-the-nation-to-nation-fight-against-extractivism/

Staci Lola Drouillard

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TED Countdown: Musician Tunde Olaniran from Flint, Michigan on the role of art in the climate crisis

Tunde Olaniran is a musician and multidisciplinary artist from Flint. Last year, their first exhibition premiered at Cranbrook Art Museum, featuring a short horror film — Made a Universe — inspired by their life growing up in Flint.

They were asked to perform one of their latest works for the TED Countdown Summit at the Fillmore Detroit on Thursday, July 13.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/ted-countdown-musician-tunde-olaniran-from-flint-michigan-on-the-role-of-art-in-the-climate-crisis/

Lisa John Rogers

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Environmental justice, climate resilience are top priorities for new Great Lakes executive

In December 2015, the Flint drinking water crisis that had been brewing for two years finally hit the national spotlight. Then Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized to the citizens of Flint and accepted the resignation of his top executive at the Department of Environmental Quality, the agency with direct oversight of Flint’s drinking water issues.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/environmental-justice-climate-resilience-priorities-great-lakes-executive/

Gary Wilson

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Former U.N. adviser warns on water futures trading, elevates water crisis to level of climate

There were two differing visions on how to deal with the global water crisis at the recent United Nations World Water Conference, according to former U.N. water adviser Maude Barlow.

One, would “treat water as a commodity like oil and gas and put it on the open market for sale,” Barlow said.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/former-adviser-warns-water-futures-trading-water-crisis-level-climate/

Gary Wilson

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Detroiters can get another 1,125 gallons of water under discount program

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Great Lakes Echo

The city of Detroit and a nonprofit agency recently added 1,125 gallons of water per person per month to a program that prevents water shut-offs in low-income households.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/detroiters-can-get-another-1125-gallons-of-water-under-discount-program/

Great Lakes Echo

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Hope springs eternal for Michigan legislator who champions drinking water equity

In 2014, Detroit and Michigan received international attention on a water issue, but it wasn’t the spotlight either would have wanted.

The United Nations dispatched an official human rights rapporteur to Detroit to document the harm caused by water shutoffs based on the inability to pay. “There was no water for food or toilets or for care of the elderly or kids, people had to go to public parks and put water in cans,” water rights advocate Maude Barlow told Great Lakes Now in a 2022 interview.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/hope-springs-eternal-for-michigan-legislator-who-champions-drinking-water-equity/

Gary Wilson

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Road Salt, A Stealthy Pollutant, Is Damaging Michigan Waters

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

This is the first story in a series of reports from the Great Lakes News Collaborative that will investigate contemporary water pollution challenges in the Great Lakes region. Called Refresh, the series will explore the shortcomings in the Clean Water Act and how Michigan and other Great Lakes states can more completely address water pollution in the next 50 years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/road-salt-damaging-michigan-waters/

Circle of Blue

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Multi-state group prepares Great Lakes basin for effects of climate change

Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes. One group is urging the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to coordinate their efforts to make the Great Lakes basin more resilient to those changes.

Climate change contributed to the rapid rise in Great Lakes water levels a few years ago.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/group-great-lakes-basin-effects-climate-change/

Michigan Radio

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These 3 Detroit restaurants are tackling climate change in the kitchen

By Nina Ignaczak, Planet Detroit

This story is part of a collaborative series from the Institute for Nonprofit News, Planet Detroit, Tostada Magazine, Energy News Network, The Land, and Borderless Magazine examining climate resilience across the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/detroit-restaurants-tackling-climate-change-kitchen/

Institute for Nonprofit News

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Michigan Democrats aiming to erase business friendly environmental laws

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/michigan-democrats-aiming-erase-business-friendly-environmental-laws/

Bridge Michigan

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Get Out There: New trails and parks make nature more accessible for neurodiverse people

Multiple studies and countless anecdotal accounts document the calming and healing effects of spending time in nature.

But for people with autism spectrum disorder, the great outdoors can be full of dangers and stressors, from unpredictable and rough hiking trails to the overwhelming stimuli of people and animals to the risky allure posed by water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/new-trails-and-parks-make-nature-accessible-for-neurodiverse-people/

Kari Lydersen

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Democrats in control: Advocates want action on justice, climate and “stronger leadership” from Gov. Whitmer

Elections have consequences, the saying goes, and for the Michigan Democratic party, the election last week resulted in a sweep of the race for governor and the legislature.

Now comes their opportunity to deliver on long-stalled environmental initiatives.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected and for the first time in almost 40 years, Democrats will be the majority in the legislature.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/advocates-want-action-on-justice-climate-stronger-leadership-gov-whitmer/

Gary Wilson

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EPA orders Ohio power plant to stop dumping toxic coal ash

By Matthew Daly, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major action to address toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants, the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday ordered an Ohio utility to stop dumping dangerous coal ash into unlined storage ponds and speed cleanup of the site.

The order to the Gen.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/ap-epa-orders-ohio-power-plant-stop-dumping-coal-ash/

The Associated Press

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Nonprofit buys 31,000 forested acres by Copper Harbor to keep land public

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/nonprofit-buys-31000-forested-acres-by-copper-harbor/

Bridge Michigan

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Great Lakes, Chicago River and Asian carp in the spotlight in Elizabeth Kolbert’s “Under a White Sky”

For Elizabeth Kolbert, the path to writing a book on our penchant to control nature started with a guided tour on the infamously reversed Chicago River.

Kolbert wanted to get a close look at the Asian carp issue and talk to the people on the front lines of efforts to repel the carp advance to the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/great-lakes-chicago-river-asian-carp-elizabeth-kolbert/

Gary Wilson

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MN Supreme Court: Farm country stream is protected waterway

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled a western county in the state must conduct an environmental review to determine whether a proposed drainage ditch improvement could harm one of the last free-flowing creeks in the heavily agricultural area.

The ruling last week affirms a state Court of Appeals judgment that reversed a Renville County Board decision which said the study wasn’t necessary.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/ap-farm-country-stream-protected-waterway/

The Associated Press

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Energy News Roundup: Line 3 protests, renewable energy efforts growing

Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Illinois

  • Illinois to tackle orphaned oil, gas wells — Alton Telegraph

Illinois Gov.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/energy-news-roundup-line-3-protests-renewable-energy-efforts-growing/

Kathy Johnson

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In: Advocacy, Asian carp, Authors, Books, Authors, Art and Music, Enbridge Line 5 and Other Pipelines, environmental policy, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, Gary Wilson, History and Culture, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, invasive species, Latest News, Michigan, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Science, Technology, Research
Dave Dempsey explores connection between people, dogs and environmental policy in new book

When we think of our cherished dogs, most of us don’t easily make a connection to environmental policy or protecting the Great Lakes.

But that’s the path Traverse City’s Dave Dempsey followed in his latest book release, Half Wild: People, Dogs and Environmental Policy.

The premise of the book examines our tendency to engage in binary thinking on protecting the environment and the Great Lakes, much like dogs who are domesticated but retain long-ingrained wild tendencies.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/dave-dempsey-people-dogs-and-environmental-policy/

Gary Wilson

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In: Advocacy, Agriculture, Algae Blooms, algal blooms, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, harmful algal blooms, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, The States, toxic algae, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Powerful Industry’s Torrent of Manure Overwhelms State Regulators

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/powerful-industry-torrent-manure-overwhelms-state-regulators/

Circle of Blue

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Farms in Six Southeast Michigan Counties Are Major Sources of Lake Erie Toxic Blooms

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/farms-michigan-counties-sources-of-lake-erie-toxic-blooms/

Circle of Blue

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Cleveland water organization looking to support business innovation beyond Lake Erie

“The Erie Situation,” a new documentary about toxic algae blooms will air simultaneously on six PBS stations in four states at 9 p.m. ET on Monday Sept. 12. To see if your station is one of them, click HERE.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/cleveland-water-organization-looking-to-support-business-innovation-beyond-lake-erie/

Sandra Svoboda

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To excavate or not to excavate: With toxic coal ash, that is the question

Eighty-eight-year-old Hilda Barg hunched her shoulders and rested her forearms on her hardwood dining table, talking fiercely about coal ash contamination in her neighborhood. Barg, a lifelong resident and former supervisor of Prince William County, Virginia, is leading a local fight against how Dominion Energy — the state’s largest electric utility — is dealing with toxic coal ash at its Possum Point plant 3 miles from Barg’s home. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/08/excavate-toxic-coal-ash-question/

Hayley Starshak and Mrinali Dhembla

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In: activism, Advocacy, Chicago, coal ash, Coal Ash Project, Drinking Water, Environmental Justice, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Groundwater Contamination, Illinois, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Lake Michigan, Municipalities, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Coal ash contaminating groundwater near Joliet to stay, despite residents’ and activists’ concerns

Joliet, Illinois, a city of about 150,000 people southwest of Chicago, has long depended on a deep sandstone aquifer for drinking water – an increasingly strained resource that city officials hope to supplement with a billion-dollar pipeline from Lake Michigan.

But while this highly publicized search for a new source of municipal water unfolds, some residents who rely on private well water face a different threat.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/08/coal-ash-contaminating-groundwater-near-joliet-to-stay/

Sarah Aie

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In: Advocacy, bird watching, birding, Cleveland, Fish, Birds and Animals, History and Culture, lake erie, Latest News, News, Ohio, Recreation and Tourism, The Catch, Tourism
The Catch: Lake Erie birding

Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.

Want to head out to the Great Lake Erie Birding Trail?

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/the-catch-lake-erie-birding/

GLN Editor

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MI environmental group calls EPA’s PFAS advisory a “wake-up call” for industries

By Tracy Samilton, Michigan Radio

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/environmental-group-pfas-advisory/

Michigan Radio

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s plan needs to move from aspiration to action, says Detroit climate advocate

In February 2021, Detroit’s Michelle Martinez was excited like she hadn’t been in years about the potential of progress on core environmental and climate justice issues.

President Donald Trump, who took the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accords and was rolling back Obama-era environmental protections, was out of office.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/michigan-gov-plan-action/

Gary Wilson

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As agencies seek more environmental justice data, longtime residents are skeptical

By Eleanore Catolico, Energy News Network

This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission.

This article is co-published by the Energy News Network and Planet Detroit with support from the Race and Justice Reporting Initiative at the Damon J.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/agencies-environmental-data-residents/

Energy News Network

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Water Always Wins: “Quietly radical” book makes case for Slow Water

While growing up in California, Erica Gies became aware of the state’s water scarcity, which she told Great Lakes Now has led to a “low-key obsession about water for just about everyone in the state.”

California’s droughts have been a regular occurrence that put a spotlight on the importance of water for Gies, fostering a writing career on the topic that has spanned 15 years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/water-always-wins-book/

Gary Wilson

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In: activism, Advocacy, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Detroit, detroit river, Feature Detroit, History and Culture, Latest News, Lighthouses, Museums and Cultural Institutions, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation and Tourism, Tourism
Detroit City Council wants to make Detroit River a World Heritage Site

By Briana Rice, Michigan Radio

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/detroit-river-world-heritage-site/

Michigan Radio

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High Cost of Water Hits Home

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/high-cost-water-hits-home-michigan/

Circle of Blue

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16 states that want to electrify USPS fleet file lawsuits

By David Sharp, Associated Press

California and 15 states that want the U.S. Postal Service to electrify its mail delivery vehicles are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks as the agency modernizes its delivery fleet.

Three separate lawsuits, filed Thursday by the states and environmental groups in New York and California, ask judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the next-generation delivery vehicle program.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-states-electrify-usps-lawsuits/

The Associated Press

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Many Rural Towns Have Neglected Drinking Water Systems for Decades

By Lester Graham

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/rural-towns-drinking-water-systems/

Michigan Radio

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Big greenhouse gas state taking biggest climate step yet

By Marc Levy, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — More than two years after he started work on it, Gov. Tom Wolf is set to enact the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change, making Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy — but it might be a short-lived victory.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-greenhouse-gas-state-climate-step/

The Associated Press

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Cleaner Earth: Healing ozone hole, less smog, more eagles

By Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer

With climate change, plastic pollution and a potential sixth mass extinction, humanity has made some incredible messes in the world.

But when people, political factions and nations have pulled together, they have also cleaned up some of those human-caused environmental problems, including healing the ozone hole, clearing perpetually smoggy air and saving many species from the brink of extinction.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-healing-ozone-hole-smog-eagles/

The Associated Press

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Minnesota Supreme Court to hear challenge in PolyMet case

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a challenge by environmentalists over portions of a lower court ruling involving a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals in January reversed a 2018 decision by state regulators to issue PolyMet Mining Corp.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-minnesota-supreme-court-polymet-case/

The Associated Press

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Report: Michigan increases recycling by 35.4% in 3 years

Michigan has reached a 19.3% recycling rate, an increase of 35.4% from prior to 2019, according to an analysis the state of Michigan released Monday ahead of Earth Day on Friday.

Before 2019, the state estimated Michigan’s recycling rate, the rate at which recyclable materials are recycled from waste, was 14.25%.

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Group: Feds hid plans to weaken whooping crane protection

The Biden administration made secret plans to weaken protection for whooping cranes, and documents obtained through an open records request show officials “seem to have been deliberately misleading the public,” an environmental group says.

The documents show that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to propose changing the only natural flock’s status from endangered to threatened, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release linking to some of the papers.

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Ohio legislation eases state regulation of some streams

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall would be restricted under proposed Ohio legislation months in the works.

Construction companies, the mining industry and other business groups say removing so-called ephemeral streams from regulation would make Ohio’s practice consistent with federal law.

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Illinois environmental justice bill would help residents prevent pollution

By Kari Lydersen, Energy News Network

This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission.

Illinois activists who led fights to close coal plants and ban petroleum coke storage are now leading the charge for a bill that would provide new powers and funding to environmental justice communities.

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Black Neighborhoods Will Bear Future Flood Burden

By Kimberly M. S. Cartier, Eos

This story originally appeared in Eos and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

Residents of New Orleans are no strangers to floods and the losses that follow.

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Substantive change will require a ‘massive culture shift’ in federal, state and local agencies

When it comes to dealing with Michigan’s regulators on environmental justice issues, Detroit environmental law attorney Nick Leonard wants to change the narrative.

Too often when confronted with decisions that impact environmental justice communities, regulators focus on limitations and what they can’t do, Leonard recently told Great Lakes Now.

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Canada’s Maude Barlow chronicles 40 years of activism in new book, “Still Hopeful”

For Maude Barlow, the importance of hope was instilled by her parents as a child while having her morning oatmeal. It grew into a “lifelong mantra” that took her through the travails of 40 years of social justice and environmental activism in Canada and on the international stage.

Now, Barlow chronicles that hopeful trek in her 20th book, Still Hopeful: Lessons From A Lifetime Of Activism.

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Environmental justice in spotlight as WH official departs

By Drew Costley, Associated Press

The White House’s top official on environmental justice is stepping down a year after President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious plan to help disadvantaged communities and overhaul policies that have historically hurt them.

The departure Friday of Cecilia Martinez, senior director for environmental justice at the Council for Environmental Quality, puts a spotlight on both the administration’s successes and promises yet to be fulfilled.

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Minnesota Supreme Court to review drainage projects ruling

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will review a ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals that provided environmental protections for Renville County’s last free-flowing stream.

The October appeals court decision called for an environmental review to determine whether a proposed drainage ditch improvement could harm the stream in the heavily agricultural western county.

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Science report: US should make less plastic to save oceans

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

America needs to rethink and reduce the way it generates plastics because so much of the material is littering the oceans and other waters, the National Academy of Sciences says in a new report.

The United States, the world’s top plastics waste producer, generates more than 46 million tons (42 million metric tons) a year, and about 2.2 billion pounds (1 million metric tons) ends up in the world’s oceans, according to the academy’s report.

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NY says no to voting reforms, yes to environmental right

By Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New Yorkers approved a ballot measure adding the right to a clean environment to the state constitution but rejected other proposed amendments that could have made it easier to vote.

The environmental measure was one of five statewide ballot questions before New York voters Tuesday.

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Great Lakes artists repurposing trash for art

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Emilie Appleyard, Great Lakes Echo

Artists in the Great Lakes region are taking trash and turning it into art.

Dave Matsen, a retired professional photographer from Ludington, Michigan, found inspiration from his garbage at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In Climate Talks, Plans to Keep Planet from Overheating Should Not Ignore Water

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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Billions in environmental justice funds hang in the balance

By Drew Costley, AP Science Writer

Tens of billions of dollars for U.S. environmental justice initiatives originally proposed in a $3.5 trillion domestic spending package now hang in the balance as Democrats decide how to trim the bill down to $2 trillion.

Investments in a wide range of these projects were proposed in the Build Back Better plan, but Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona demanded that the bill be reduced, with Manchin asking for it to be cut by as much as half.

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Groups fight to keep gray wolf protections for most of US

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife advocates and environmental groups have announced that they are challenging the removal of federal protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S.

Two coalitions of groups filed formal notices over the past several days that they plan to sue the U.S. Interior Department in federal court unless protections are restored.

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