By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
At a giant dirt lot off a side road in Emmet County, the air smells sharply of pine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/northern-michigan-moves-to-clean-up-ice-storm-debris-by-making-energy/
By Akielly Hu
This story was originally published by Canary Media.
As electric and gas bills rise across the country, a poll released today finds that an overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. are concerned about growing energy costs — and experiencing greater financial stress because of them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/rising-utility-bills-have-americans-worried/
This article is the first in a series called The Great Lakes Promise: Cost, Resilience and Refuge. This series was made possible in partnership between Great Lakes Now and Planet Detroit.
Bird flu has hit the Great Lakes region hard this winter, killing nearly 5 million birds — including laying hens, ducks and other fowl — in Ohio and Indiana in the past two months.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/
This article is the first in a series called The Great Lakes Promise: Cost, Resilience and Refuge. This series was made possible in partnership between Great Lakes Now and Planet Detroit.
Bird flu has hit the Great Lakes region hard this winter, killing nearly 5 million birds — including laying hens, ducks and other fowl — in Ohio and Indiana in the past two months.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/
This article is the first in a series called The Great Lakes Promise: Cost, Resilience and Refuge. This series was made possible in partnership between Great Lakes Now and Planet Detroit.
Bird flu has hit the Great Lakes region hard this winter, killing nearly 5 million birds — including laying hens, ducks and other fowl — in Ohio and Indiana in the past two months.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/
A few months ago, I was riding on Amtrak’s new Borealis line from St. Paul, Minn., to Chicago. The train was packed that day, and the new line has proved popular.
My coach seat was much nicer than any airline. Plus, I didn’t have to go through security.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/what-would-the-great-lakes-region-be-like-with-bullet-trains/
By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media
This story was originally published by Ideastream.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has announced a sustainability plan as part of larger, city-wide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The plan outlines six focus areas to improve energy efficiency, including incorporating EV charging infrastructure and expanding solar and renewable energy options.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/cleveland-hopkins-airport-sets-100-emission-reduction-goal-by-2050/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/michigan-lawmakers-consider-more-subsidies-incentives-for-nuclear-power/
By Zoya Teirstein
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with Canada and Mexico, America’s two largest trading partners. Following through on weeks of threats, he imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico and Canada and a lower 10 percent tariff on imports of Canadian energy resources.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/how-trumps-trade-war-could-impact-us-electricity-prices-and-state-climate-plans/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Hundreds of energy projects may have their permits fast-tracked by the Trump administration, including Enbridge’s tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac and a roughly $1 billion gas plant in Superior.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/oil-and-gas-projects-fast-tracked-while-minnesota-power-plans-to-quit-fossil-fuels/
Carl Gawboy, a celebrated Minnesota artist and Ojibwe scholar of Finnish and Bois Forte Anishinaabe descent, has dedicated his life to preserving and sharing the stories of his people. In his book, Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History, Gawboy combines his prolific artistic talent, family stories, and cultural research to shed light on a largely overlooked chapter of history.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/a-different-perspective-on-the-fur-trade/
By Carrie Klein, 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.
Michigan’s Palisades Nuclear Generating Station is one step closer to becoming the first nuclear power plant in the United States to reopen.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/michigan-environmental-impact-statement-palisades-nuclear-plant-restart/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan — known for being the longest-serving legislative leader in United States history — was convicted last week of conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/from-madigans-conviction-to-comeds-ev-rebate-program-how-illinois-is-shaping-its-energy-future/
Rolling back clean water protection, gutting agencies and defunding science, research and monitoring is a non-starter for the Great Lakes region, says Ann Arbor environmental advocate Laura Rubin.
She was reacting to the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin’s recently released economy-oriented plan for the agency under President Donald Trump.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/veteran-great-lakes-advocate-cautions-prioritizing-economic-development-over-protecting-environment/
President Donald Trump has made rethinking international trade policy a centerpiece of his second administration. While Congress generally has the authority to regulate international trade, it has also delegated some of this authority to the president. On Feb. 1, Trump announced he would be imposing 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, with a 10% tariff on Canadian energy.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/what-the-recent-tariff-news-means-for-the-great-lakes/
By Emma McIntosh, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/tackling-environmental-racism-in-chemical-valley/
Abdullatif Ahmed was just 23 years old when he first stepped foot on the Medusa Challenger, a 1906-built Great Lakes bulk freighter.
“Before I came to America in 1990,” he said, “I had never even seen the sea.”
Born and raised in Juban, a rural district in southern Yemen, Ahmed was drawn to the Great Lakes by family history and opportunity.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/the-fascinating-history-of-the-great-lakes-yemeni-sailors/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/trump-tries-to-block-ev-charger-money-again-michigan-impact-clear-as-mud/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
This is a weird time for clean energy. Much of the federal funding supporting the energy transition has become embroiled in President Donald Trump’s executive orders and the court decisions blocking them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/for-clean-energy-in-the-great-lakes-region-2025-is-off-to-an-uneasy-start/
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 business competition to tackle environmental and infrastructure issues in the Great Lakes kicked off last week.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/blue-tech-challenge-aims-at-gathering-business-solutions-to-great-lakes-problems/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Uncertainty abounds in the energy sector as President Donald Trump returns to office. In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump promised to “revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry.” Trump has already begun the process of reversing Biden-era policies meant to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and reduce emissions from gas cars.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/energy-sector-holds-its-breath-as-nuclear-power-inches-forward/
By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
Photography by Christopher Katsarov Luna
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/life-on-the-frontlines-of-ontarios-critical-mineral-boom/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio and Teresa Homsi, WCMU
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/public-comment-opens-on-a-plan-to-clear-trees-for-solar-near-gaylord/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Chicago’s commitment to using 100% renewable energy at city-owned buildings went into effect Jan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/energy-transition-small-wins-uncertainty-upper-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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/chicago-renewable-energy-black-diamond-solar/
The company planning a controversial pipeline reroute in northern Wisconsin recently told officials that it spilled approximately 69,300 gallons of crude oil in the southern part of the state, making this Wisconsin’s largest oil spill since at least 2012. Enbridge first reported the spill, which was caused by an underground equipment failure on its Line 6 pipeline, on Nov.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/energy-news-roundup-wisconsin-reacts-to-oil-spill-as-pipeline-fight-continues/
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.
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/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/spotlight-on-complexity-of-bottled-water-issues-as-bluetriton-exits-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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/canada-is-one-step-closer-to-burying-nuclear-waste-in-northwestern-ontario/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/energy-news-roundup-line-5s-potential-reroute-plus-mining-permits-stoke-fears-of-contamination/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/local-governments-appeal-state-implementation-of-renewable-siting-law/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/waves-of-change-meet-protect-the-porkies-founder-tom-grotewohl/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/environmentalists-industry-divided-over-energy-permitting-bill/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/new-federal-funds-aim-to-cut-carbon-emissions-and-air-pollution-from-us-ports/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/hell-try-but-trump-cant-stop-the-clean-energy-revolution/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/amish-farmers-partnership-with-beef-giant-produces-manure-mess/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/energy-news-roundup-more-energy-transition-ups-and-downs/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/public-hearing-draws-on-big-questions-about-upper-peninsula-copper-mining/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/the-race-for-clean-energy-is-local/
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.
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/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/michigan-a-top-winner-of-climate-funds-trump-wants-to-revoke/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/federal-aid-to-rescue-michigan-cherry-farmers-after-devastating-crop-loss/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/energy-news-roundup-retirement-is-in-sight-for-another-huge-coal-plant/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/how-northern-michiganders-can-help-people-affected-by-hurricanes/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/what-a-trump-vs-harris-presidency-might-mean-for-the-great-lakes/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/midwest-dam-safety-projects-funding/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/energy-news-roundup-kwik-trip-goes-electric-as-federal-funds-flow-in/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/traverse-city-lawyer-national-recognition-for-making-an-economic-arguments-against-coal/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/energy-news-roundup-michigan-michigan-michigan/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/northeast-ohio-composters-reduce-emissions-from-food-waste-one-pile-at-a-time/
