Agricultural runoff damages our water and kills wildlife. Could a simple drainage stopper be the solution?

The sight of the first snow on the horizon of Bill Wiley’s 500-acre farm in Shelby County, Ohio, is a welcome relief. The 2024 growing season has been incredibly dry.

“We are about eight inches behind regular precipitation for the year,” he said.

But Wiley, who farms corn, soybeans, wheat, pumpkins and gords, has installed two inline water control structures that control the flow of drainage water from two of his fields.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/agricultural-runoff-damages-our-water-and-kills-wildlife-could-a-simple-drainage-stopper-be-the-solution/

Stephen Starr

Spotlight on complexity of bottled water issues, as BlueTriton exits Ontario

Activist group, Water Watchers, had reason to celebrate last month when water bottler BlueTriton announced it will cease operations in Puslinch, Ontario in January, 2025. The group’s website beamed “We Won” and said the exit was a “historic win for water justice.”

To get a better understanding of the issues surrounding bottled water in Ontario, Canada, Great Lakes Now contacted Arlene Slocombe, executive director of Water Watchers and McMaster University Professor, Dawn Martin-Hill and founder of the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/spotlight-on-complexity-of-bottled-water-issues-as-bluetriton-exits-ontario/

Gary Wilson, Great Lakes Now

Canada is one step closer to burying nuclear waste in northwestern Ontario

By Fatima Syed, The Narwhal

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal 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/2024/12/canada-is-one-step-closer-to-burying-nuclear-waste-in-northwestern-ontario/

The Narwhal

Energy News Roundup: Line 5’s potential reroute plus mining permits stoke fears of contamination

Wisconsin officials put a controversial pipeline reroute one step closer to construction last week when they issued permits for Enbridge Energy, a Canadian oil company, to move a section of Line 5 off of Tribal land in the far northern part of the state. Construction and agricultural industry groups cheered the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ decision.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/energy-news-roundup-line-5s-potential-reroute-plus-mining-permits-stoke-fears-of-contamination/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Local governments appeal state implementation of renewable siting law

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

More than 70 townships and several counties are suing the Michigan Public Service Commission, challenging whether the commission went through the right process to put in place a law giving the state authority to approve those projects.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/local-governments-appeal-state-implementation-of-renewable-siting-law/

Grist

Waves of Change: Meet Protect the Porkies founder Tom Grotewohl

Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.

This month, we spoke with Tom Grotewohl, a resident of Wakefield Township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and founder of the Protect the Porkies campaign.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/waves-of-change-meet-protect-the-porkies-founder-tom-grotewohl/

Great Lakes Now

Environmentalists, Industry Divided Over Energy Permitting Bill

Melting ice. Wildfire smoke. Crop losses. Climate change is already having an impact on the Great Lakes region. According to a 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in order to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, humanity would have to reach net-zero emissions by the 2070s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/environmentalists-industry-divided-over-energy-permitting-bill/

Sean Ericson, Great Lakes Now

New Federal Funds Aim to Cut Carbon Emissions and Air Pollution From US Ports

By Kristoffer Tigue, Inside Climate News

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

Raquel Garcia has been fighting for years to clean up the air in her neighborhood southwest of downtown Detroit.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/new-federal-funds-aim-to-cut-carbon-emissions-and-air-pollution-from-us-ports/

Inside Climate News

He’ll try, but Trump can’t stop the clean energy revolution

By Matt Simon

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.

During his first time around as president, Donald Trump rolled back a bevy of environmental rules, withdrew from the Paris Agreement, and boosted the fossil fuel industry.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/hell-try-but-trump-cant-stop-the-clean-energy-revolution/

Grist

Amish Farmers’ Partnership With Beef Giant Produces Manure Mess

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal 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/2024/11/amish-farmers-partnership-with-beef-giant-produces-manure-mess/

Circle of Blue

Energy News Roundup: More energy transition ups and downs

Ford is suspending production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck at its plant in Dearborn, Michigan, from mid-November until early 2025 as EV sales continue to lag behind expectations. Since the electric pickup’s launch a couple of years ago, when Ford fielded more demand than it was able to meet, momentum has slowed, and the automaker has this year halved production of the Lightning and reduced its hourly workforce at the Dearborn plant by two-thirds.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/energy-news-roundup-more-energy-transition-ups-and-downs/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Public hearing draws on big questions about Upper Peninsula copper mining

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

In Gogebic County, on the western end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, towering old-growth evergreens carpet the landscape as it rolls down toward the deep blue of Lake Superior.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/public-hearing-draws-on-big-questions-about-upper-peninsula-copper-mining/

Interlochen Public Radio

The race for clean energy is local

By Emily Jones and Gautama Mehta, Grist

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.

The U.S. power grid is at a critical crossroads. Electricity generation, like every other industry, needs to rid itself of fossil fuels if the country is to play its role in combating the climate crisis — a transition that will have to happen even as energy providers scramble to meet what they claim is an unprecedented spike in electricity demand, attributed to the rise of AI.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/the-race-for-clean-energy-is-local/

Grist

Competing Visions for U.S. Auto Industry Clash in Presidential Election, With the EV Future Pressing at the Border

By Marianne Lavelle and Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/competing-visions-for-u-s-auto-industry-clash-in-presidential-election-with-the-ev-future-pressing-at-the-border/

Inside Climate News

Michigan a top winner of climate funds Trump wants to revoke

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/10/michigan-a-top-winner-of-climate-funds-trump-wants-to-revoke/

Bridge Michigan

Federal aid to rescue Michigan cherry farmers after devastating crop loss

By Nina Misuraca Ignaczak, Planet Detroit

This article was republished with permission from Planet Detroit. Sign up for Planet Detroit’s weekly newsletter here.

Federal aid is coming to Michigan’s sweet cherry farmers, who lost much of their crops this year due to erratic weather patterns and subsequent pest infestations.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/federal-aid-to-rescue-michigan-cherry-farmers-after-devastating-crop-loss/

Planet Detroit

Energy News Roundup: Retirement is in sight for another huge coal plant

Retirement is in sight for one of the country’s largest coal plants. Ohio’s James M. Gavin plant, the third most gargantuan in the Midwest and sixth nationwide, will likely be closed or converted to run on gas by 2031, Inside Climate News reported. The two coal plants in the region with more generating capacity — the Gibson plant in Indiana and the Monroe plant in Michigan — are set to retire in 2038 and 2032, respectively, after electric utility Duke Energy proposed a couple of weeks ago to delay the Gibson plant’s closure or conversion by three years from its previous target of 2035.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/energy-news-roundup-retirement-is-in-sight-for-another-huge-coal-plant/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

How northern Michiganders can help people affected by hurricanes

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Hurricane Milton made landfall last week in Florida, even as communities across the southeast are still reeling from Hurricane Helene.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/how-northern-michiganders-can-help-people-affected-by-hurricanes/

Interlochen Public Radio

What a Trump vs. Harris presidency might mean for the Great Lakes

The 2024 presidential election campaign is in the homestretch and results in the Great Lakes states of Michigan and Wisconsin could determine the winner. Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump covet the electors in both states and polling indicates they could go either way.

Great Lakes Now selected three key topics — Great Lakes restoration, Line 5 and groundwater — and asked veteran policy experts Rob Sisson and Lana Pollack for their views on how a Harris or Trump presidency may deal with them.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/what-a-trump-vs-harris-presidency-might-mean-for-the-great-lakes/

Gary Wilson, Great Lakes Now

Midwest States Struggle to Fund Dam Safety Projects, Even as Federal Aid Hits Historic Highs

By Kristoffer Tigue, Inside Climate News

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

MINNEAPOLIS—A record amount of federal aid will soon flow to states to help fix, replace or demolish their aging dams, many of which are under increasing pressure as climate change fuels more frequent and severe extreme weather events.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/midwest-dam-safety-projects-funding/

Inside Climate News

Energy News Roundup: Kwik Trip goes electric as federal funds flow in

Midwestern convenience store giant Kwik Trip is breaking into the charging business. The chain, known for its gas and grocery offerings, will install electric vehicle chargers at “a strategic number of its stores” through its new Kwik Charge program. The announcement comes a few months after Kwik Trip received about $23 million in federal funds aimed at establishing a statewide EV charging network in Wisconsin.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/energy-news-roundup-kwik-trip-goes-electric-as-federal-funds-flow-in/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Traverse City lawyer gets national recognition for making economic arguments against coal

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Environmental advocates have long focused on how coal harms the climate and environment.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/traverse-city-lawyer-national-recognition-for-making-an-economic-arguments-against-coal/

Interlochen Public Radio

Energy News Roundup: Michigan, Michigan, Michigan

There’s a whole lot of energy stuff happening in Michigan.

The push to restart the Palisades nuclear reactor in the southwestern part of the state is gaining steam. So is the opposition. The plant, which shuttered in 2022 amid competition from cheaper energy sources, is now set to receive more than $2.4 billion in public subsidies.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/energy-news-roundup-michigan-michigan-michigan/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Northeast Ohio composters reduce emissions from food waste, one pile at a time

By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media

This story was originally published by Ideastream.

In Northeast Ohio, composting is becoming more common due, in part, to local organizations sharing knowledge, resources and the benefits of composting for the planet.

Leftovers often end up in the trash rather than in our stomachs.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/northeast-ohio-composters-reduce-emissions-from-food-waste-one-pile-at-a-time/

Ideastream Public Media

Points North: Labor of Mixed Emotions

By Morgan Springer

Points North is a biweekly podcast about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.

This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio. 

Growing up, Nic Theisen thought farming was a terrible way to make a living.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/points-north-labor-mixed-emotions/

Interlochen Public Radio

Major federal funding aims to speed transition to clean energy in the rural Midwest

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, WBEZ

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for WBEZ newsletters to get local news you can trust.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/major-federal-funding-aims-to-speed-transition-to-clean-energy-in-the-rural-midwest/

WBEZ

Michigan’s ambitious clean energy laws face a peninsula-sized hurdle

By Izzy Ross, Grist

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with Grist and Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan.

Last year, Michigan became one of the latest states to adopt a clean energy standard, passing sweeping legislation that calls for utilities there to use 100 percent clean electricity by 2040 and sets targets for renewable energy development, among other requirements.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/michigans-ambitious-clean-energy-laws-face-peninsula-sized-hurdle/

Grist

Tribal nations in Michigan get grants totaling more than $38 million to reduce greenhouse emissions

By Lester Graham, Michigan Public

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/09/tribal-nations-in-michigan-get-grants-totaling-more-than-38-million-to-reduce-greenhouse-emissions/

Michigan Public

Farmers turn to ‘predator-proof’ fences to deter wolves in northern Wisconsin

By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio

This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.

For at least the last decade, Dustin Soyring and his family have struggled with wolves on their farm in the northern Wisconsin town of Maple.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/farmers-turn-to-predator-proof-fences-to-deter-wolves-in-northern-wisconsin/

Wisconsin Public Radio

U.S. Movement to Limit CAFO Pollution Emboldened by Michigan Court Ruling

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/08/u-s-movement-to-limit-cafo-pollution-emboldened-by-michigan-court-ruling/

Circle of Blue

South Shore residents are fed up with garbage on their streets

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, WBEZ

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for WBEZ newsletters to get local news you can trust.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/south-shore-residents-are-fed-up-with-garbage-on-their-streets/

WBEZ

Oberlin Food Hub brings fresh produce to Ohio’s food banks while supporting local farmers

By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media

This story was originally published by Ideastream.

One in seven Ohioans faces food insecurity, according to Feeding America. This story is part of a “Sound of Us” series in partnership with Lorain County’s Second Harvest Food Bank.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/oberlin-food-hub-brings-fresh-produce-to-ohios-food-banks-while-supporting-local-farmers/

Ideastream Public Media

Cattle Production That Enhances Water and Environmental Quality

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

LAKE CITY, MI – Two facts about Michigan agriculture are scarcely recognized outside the fences and beyond the drainage ditches of the state’s 45,000 farms. The first: farming is among the most technologically sophisticated industrial sectors in Michigan and every other state.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/cattle-production-that-enhances-water-and-environmental-quality/

Circle of Blue

How many manure spills is too many? St. Croix County residents scrutinize big farm’s new owner

This article, first posted here, was republished with permission from Wisconsin Watch.

By Bennet Goldstein, Wisconsin Watch

Gregg Wolf vows “to put a new step forward” on “a new day” at a northwest Wisconsin dairy.

Appleton-based Breeze Dairy Group, where he serves as CEO, purchased Emerald Sky Dairy in March, shortly after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved the St.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/how-many-manure-spills-is-too-many-st-croix-county-residents-scrutinize-big-farms-new-owner/

Wisconsin Watch

Missed calls, forgotten instructions: Inside an oil spill cleanup on Toronto waterways

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/08/missed-calls-forgotten-instructions-inside-an-oil-spill-cleanup-on-toronto-waterways/

The Narwhal

Michigan’s electric energy future could be wasting away in a junk drawer

By Gabrielle Nelson, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/08/michigans-electric-energy-future-could-be-wasting-away-in-a-junk-drawer/

Bridge Michigan

In Significant Decision For Michigan’s Waters, State Supreme Court Rules EGLE Has Authority To Do Its Job

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/08/in-significant-decision-for-michigans-waters-state-supreme-court-rules-egle-has-authority-to-do-its-job/

Circle of Blue

Energy News Roundup: Amid national attention, Great Lakes states continue their push to electrify

The 2024 presidential race is heating up, and politicians from the Great Lakes region are in the spotlight on both sides of the aisle. Energy can be a divisive issue around here. The state lawmakers in contention for vice president reflect that. Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/energy-news-roundup-amid-national-attention-great-lakes-states-continue-their-push-to-electrify/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

‘Containment breached’: How an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/07/containment-breached-how-an-oil-spill-in-northwest-toronto-made-its-way-to-lake-ontario/

The Narwhal

Energy News Roundup: Climate change, energy transition are transforming the Great Lakes Region

Those living near the Palisades nuclear power plant in Southwest Michigan remain divided over plans to resurrect it. The proposed recommissioning would be the first for a retired nuclear plant in the United States — but could pave the way for more. At a recent meeting in Benton Harbor that marked the opening of a federal public comment period, some of the plant’s neighbors said they were excited about the jobs it would bring back or the low-carbon electricity it would send flowing back onto the grid.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/energy-news-roundup-climate-change-energy-transition-are-transforming-the-great-lakes-region/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Beaver Island takes early steps to test wave energy in its waters

By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio

This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

A project off the shore of Beaver Island could harness the power of Lake Michigan’s waves to generate renewable energy.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/beaver-island-takes-early-steps-to-test-wave-energy-in-its-waters/

Interlochen Public Radio

Environmentalists appeal Michigan regulators’ approval of pipeline tunnel project

By Todd Richmond, Associated Press

Environmentalists are challenging Michigan regulators’ decision to approve encasing part of an aging Enbridge Energy oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, arguing that they failed to properly consider alternatives that would minimize climate impacts.

The Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Michigan Climate Action Network filed a brief with a state appellate court Thursday.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/environmentalists-appeal-michigan-regulators-approval-of-pipeline-tunnel-project/

The Associated Press

Energy News Roundup: Great Lakes shipping industry says it could use decarbonization funding too

Ports across the Great Lakes region are racing to slash their carbon emissions to comply with international climate targets. But the ships that dock at the region’s ports say they have largely been left out of government incentives to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. There is currently only one U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/energy-news-roundup-great-lakes-shipping-industry-says-it-could-use-decarbonization-funding-too/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Why some municipalities are looking at putting solar panels on water

By Lester Graham and Rebecca Williams, Michigan Public

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal 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/2024/06/why-some-municipalities-are-looking-at-putting-solar-panels-on-water/

Michigan Public

Energy News Roundup: Federal money pours in to accelerate energy transition

There’s been plenty of federal attention aimed at the Great Lakes region over the past couple of weeks. The Biden administration last Thursday announced four new “workforce hubs” in Upstate New York, Michigan, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The hubs — which join the five announced last year in Columbus, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Augusta, and Phoenix — are intended to help communities access training for jobs in the clean energy space.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/energy-news-roundup-federal-money-pours-in-to-accelerate-energy-transition/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

The murky process of reopening Palisades and why it’s a turning point for nuclear

There are a lot of eyes on Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant as the public and private sectors try, together, to bring it back from the dead.

Plenty of nuclear reactors in the United States have successfully started back up after prolonged stretches of inactivity. The difference is that every other nuclear plant that restarted after an extended outage retained its operating license, meaning that it had to comply with strict federal maintenance standards, even at the times when it wasn’t sending electricity out onto the grid.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/the-murky-process-of-reopening-palisades-and-why-its-a-turning-point-for-nuclear/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Points North: More Than Just a Filet of Fish

By Daniel Wanschura, Interlochen Public Radio

Points North is a biweekly podcast about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.

This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio. 

Dave Naftzger found out about the 100% Fish Project entirely by accident.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/points-north-more-than-just-filet-of-fish/

Interlochen Public Radio

Energy News Roundup: Key figure in Ohio bribery scandal dead by suicide

In yet another shakeup in the Ohio energy bribery saga that first came to light in 2020, a former state utility regulator was found dead by suicide last week. Sam Randazzo, 74, a longtime lobbyist who was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to chair the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, had been charged with taking a $4.3 million bribe from FirstEnergy Corp.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/energy-news-roundup-key-figure-in-ohio-bribery-scandal-dead-by-suicide/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

Line 5 activist group wants Gov. Whitmer to “be an advocate” for shutdown

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s record on the Line 5 oil pipeline that traverses the Straits of Mackinac is mixed, according to Lansing advocate Sean McBrearty.

When running for governor in 2018, “Whitmer pledged to do everything in her power to take Line 5 out of the Great Lakes,” McBrearty told Great Lakes Now in a recent interview.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/line-5-activist-group-wants-gov-whitmer-to-be-an-advocate-for-shutdown/

Gary Wilson, Great Lakes Now

EPA head Regan defends $20B green bank: ‘I feel really good about this program’

By Matthew Daly, Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday defended a new $20 billion federal “green bank” program, saying it will finance a variety of projects to create low-carbon solutions to combat climate change, including in disadvantaged communities that are most affected by pollution.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/epa-head-regan-defends-20b-green-bank-i-feel-really-good-about-this-program/

The Associated Press