University gives St. Marys River clean, green boost

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

By Taylor Haelterman, Great Lakes Echo

High school students, community groups and Lake Superior State University will use landscaping this summer to reduce pollution flowing into the St. Marys River.

The project recently received $250,000 from the United States Forest Service as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that protects Great Lakes drinking water and habitat.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/university-st-marys-river-clean-green-boost/

Great Lakes Echo

Speaking of Water: How Can the Biden Administration Deliver on Environmental Justice Pledges?

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/water-biden-administration-deliver-environmental-justice-pledges/

Circle of Blue

Nestlé Exit: North American bottled water brands sold to investment firm

The years-long saga surrounding Nestlé and its Michigan groundwater withdrawals comes to an end – in a way – as Nestlé withdraws from the situation, selling its North American water brands to another corporation.

Nestlé announced this week that it unloaded a number of U.S. and Canadian brands, including Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Ice Mountain Brand 100% Natural Spring Water and Pure Life.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/nestle-north-america-bottled-water-brands-sold-investment-firm/

Natasha Blakely

PFAS is in fish and wildlife. Researchers prowl Michigan for clues.

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

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/2021/02/pfas-fish-wildlife-researchers-michigan/

Bridge Michigan

Road Salt: Researchers look at vegetables and juices for alternatives to salt

Salt-speckled sidewalks, driveways and highways are synonymous with winter in the Great Lakes region. But while road salt is highly effective at deicing surfaces, the safety that salt provides for humans places a heavy burden on freshwater ecosystems.

“We have an unhealthy addiction to road salt,” said Claire Oswald, a hydrologist and associate professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/road-salt-reducing-usage-great-lakes-freshwater-ecosystem/

Kathy Johnson

Water could make the Great Lakes a climate refuge. Are we prepared?

Michigan and the Great Lakes region — with an abundance of fresh water, warming winters and less fire-prone forests — stand to attract millions of new residents in the coming years looking to escape flooded coastal areas and the parched land of the West.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/water-great-lakes-climate-refuge-prepared/

Circle of Blue

PBS Project: Great Lakes Now and the Belle Isle Conservancy are hosting a high school intern

Are you a Detroit high school student interested in the environment, TV production and planning community events?

(Or maybe you know one and could share this with them?)

With funding from PBS Education, Great Lakes Now and the Belle Isle Conservancy are offering a paid internship for a high school student to help plan the April 24 Spring Clean Up on Belle Isle event AND produce a video about it to help other students and organizations have similar events to raise environmental awareness.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pbs-great-lakes-now-belle-isle-conservancy-high-school-intern/

GLN Editor

Deja vu — former Michigan elected official leads national energy policy, again

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

By Eric Freedman, Capital News Service

A former top-ranking Michigan official is now overseeing national energy policy — again.

This time it’s the Biden administration’s new Secretary of Energy, former Democratic Gov.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/former-michigan-governor-leads-national-energy-policy/

Great Lakes Echo

Indiana lawmakers debate environmental regulation, rollbacks

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — As Indiana lawmakers debate dozens of bills addressing environmental matters, tensions are flaring over whether the state should adopt greener initiatives or step back current policy affecting water, energy and other resources.

While some measures in the General Assembly could bring reductions to Indiana’s carbon emissions and make stricter penalties for polluters, others would spur regulatory rollbacks that environmental advocates say could have long-lasting and damaging effects.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/ap-indiana-lawmakers-debate-environmental-regulation-rollbacks/

The Associated Press

High Demand for New Michigan Water Infrastructure Grants

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/high-demand-new-michigan-water-infrastructure-grants/

Circle of Blue

Drinking Water Roundup: Dispute between two Waukeshas over Lake Michigan diversion, Ontario infrastructure grants

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Illinois:

  • Joliet Under Boil Advisory After Water Main Breaks – WGN9 TV

A series of water main breaks in Joliet this week prompted a boil water order in case of cross contamination during repairs.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/drinking-water-waukesha-lake-michigan-groundwater-contamination-ontario/

Grace Dempsey

PFAS News Roundup: Minnesota sets new PFAS blueprint, Biden EPA dumps PFAS assessment over ‘political interference’

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.

Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pfas-minnesota-biden-epa-regulations/

Natasha Blakely

GLWA, DWSD and Oakland County working together to reduce overflows into Rouge River

By Steve Carmody, 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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/glwa-dwsd-oakland-county-overflows-rouge-river/

Michigan Radio

Excited about Biden: Detroit advocate hopeful on environmental justice progress after decades of inertia

Detroit’s Michelle Martinez is acutely aware of the patience needed when your profession is advocating for environmental justice, the fair and meaningful involvement of all people related to environmental laws and policies.

Martinez is acting executive director and statewide coordinator for the grassroots Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

It was 1994, almost three decades ago, that President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 12898 putting the federal spotlight on environmental justice.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/detroit-advocate-hopeful-environmental-justice-progress-decades-inertia/

Gary Wilson

EPA Nominee Regan Touts Collaboration during Senate Confirmation Hearing

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/epa-nominee-collaboration-senate-confirmation-hearing/

Circle of Blue

Fisheries Fight: Michigan commercial fishers bring MDNR rules to court

It could be weeks before Michigan’s commercial fishing outfits can get back to catching whitefish ­– but even then they’re not sure what’s left of the season will save their businesses.

That’s because they’re tied up in a legal fight over the rules of their game – rules imposed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in January that limit when and where commercial fishers can operate in the Michigan waters of the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/michigan-commercial-fishers-mdnr-rules-court/

Dave Spratt

Should future plans for Line 5 consider climate change?

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/2021/02/future-plans-line-5-climate-change/

Michigan Radio

U.S., Canadian researchers conduct binational birds conservation research

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

By Yue Jiang, Great Lakes Echo

They glide over the lake, waiting for the best time to catch fish.

In the blink of an eye, they dive into the water without hesitation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/u-s-canadian-researchers-birds-conservation-research/

Great Lakes Echo

Herring gull eggs help monitor Great Lakes ecosystems

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

By Kalah Harris, Great Lakes Echo

Herring gulls are aquatic birds that feed at the water’s surface and so are restricted to feeding on prey fish at the surface and shallow nearshore waters.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/herring-gull-eggs-monitor-great-lakes-ecosystems/

Great Lakes Echo

Task force delays report recommending changes to Michigan dam safety regulations

By Steve Carmody, 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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/task-force-delays-report-recommending-changes-to-michigan-dam-safety-regulations/

Michigan Radio

‘Mass Aging’ of Dams a Global Safety and Financial Risk, UN Report Says

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/mass-aging-dams-global-safety-financial-risk-un-report/

Circle of Blue

30 Years Later: Mussel invasion legacy reaches far beyond Great Lakes

The way J. Ellen Marsden remembers it, when she first suggested calling a new Great Lakes invasive species the quagga mussel, her colleague laughed, so the name stuck.

At the same time, it was no laughing matter. The arrival of a second non-native mussel, related to the already established zebra mussel, was a major complication in what was becoming one of the most significant invasive species events in American history.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/invasive-mussels-legacy-beyond-great-lakes/

Andrew Blok

Michigan is on thin ice. Get used to it, climate experts say.

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

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/2021/02/michigan-thin-ice-climate-experts/

Bridge Michigan

Biden environmental challenge: Filling vacant scientist jobs

Polluting factories go uninspected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Leadership positions sit vacant at the U.S. Geological Survey’s climate science centers. And U.S. Department of Agriculture research into environmental issues important to farmers is unfinished.

The ranks of scientists who carry out environmental research, enforcement and other jobs fell in several agencies — sharply in some — under former President Donald Trump, federal data shows.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/ap-biden-environmental-challenge-vacant-scientist-jobs/

The Associated Press

PFAS News Roundup: PFAS found in Indigenous household wells, Wisconsin experimental treatment fails, WDNR fish concerns

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.

Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pfas-michigan-indigenous-wisconsin-fish-dnr-legislation/

Natasha Blakely

Great Lakes Moment: Beavers come knocking at the Detroit River’s former Black Lagoon

Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.

As recently as the 1980s, a small backwater on the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan, was so polluted and toxic that scientists named it the Black Lagoon.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/beavers-detroit-river-black-lagoon-restoration/

John Hartig

Drinking Water News Roundup: Joliet picks Chicago, Minnesota road salt, Ohio EPA loans

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Illinois:

  • Joliet Council Picks Chicago, Not Hammond, to Supply City’s Drinking Water –  Northwest Indiana Times

The city council in Joliet, Illinois has chosen Chicago to be its next water source, despite efforts by Hammond officials to persuade them otherwise.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/chicago-lake-michigan-minnesota-road-salt/

Grace Dempsey

EGLE Permits: Michigan agency approves permits needed for Enbridge tunnel project

The Enbridge Line 5 tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac today got another step closer to being built.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced its approval of the permits that Enbridge is required to have to build the replacement tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/egle-approves-permits-enbridge-line-5-tunnel/

Natasha Blakely

Great Lakes seeing low ice cover compared to this time last year

By Caroline Llanes, 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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/great-lakes-low-ice-cover/

Michigan Radio

Mussel-Phosphorus Puzzle: Invasive mussels are reshaping the chemistry of the Great Lakes

Since the late 1980s, four of the five Great Lakes have played host to an increasing number of invasive mussels. First came zebra mussels, followed shortly thereafter by quagga mussels, both members of the Dreissenid family whose native range includes the waters around Ukraine.

Today, the filter-feeders comprise more than 90% of the total animal biomass of the Great Lakes (barring Lake Superior, whose depth and water chemistry make it a less suitable habitat for the two species of mussel).

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/invasive-mussels-phosphorus-chemistry-great-lakes/

Lorraine Boissoneault

National Recognition: Great Lakes Now wins “Best News and Public Affairs” program for public broadcasting

Congratulations to us for our Public Media Award!

During the National Educational Telecommunications Association conference today, Great Lakes Now received the “Best News and Public Affairs” content award in the annual competition open to public broadcasters.

Congratulations to @detroitpublictv for receiving the Division 1 #publicmediaaward for Content – News & Public Affairs for Great Lakes Now Series #PMA2020

— NETA (@NETA_Tweets) January 26, 2021

Produced at Detroit Public Television, the Great Lakes Now monthly program is carried by more than two dozen PBS affiliates in Great Lakes states and airs on hundreds of Canadian cable providers across Ontario and other provinces.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/great-lakes-now-best-news-and-public-affairs-program-broadcasting/

GLN Editor

Stalled Ships: Shipping industry looks to infrastructure investments to boost demand

The Great Lakes’ iconic freighters remained common sights on the waters – that much didn’t change during pandemic. But, like many industries, shipping was hit hard by COVID-19. That feels especially salient when shipping is such an integral piece of the Great Lakes economy.

As of September 2020, iron ore cargoes were “down 27% from last year at this time,” James Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association and representative of Ohio on the Great Lakes Commission, said in an interview with Great Lakes Now.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/shipping-industry-infrastructure-investments/

Natasha Blakely

COVID-19 Concerns: Economic recovery plagues the minds of many in the Great Lakes region

With COVID-19 vaccines rolling out, many people are shifting their worries to the economy and how to recover from the state that it has been left in – with numerous local and regional industries gutted after this past summer.

“Until we start working together and work together to make sure that we keep the pandemic down while the vaccine is coming in, we’re not going to be able to rebuild this economy for quite some time,” John Dickert of the Alliance for Regional Development in a Great Lakes Now interview.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/covid-19-concerns-economic-recovery-plagues/

Natasha Blakely

Lack of Enforcement: Less compliance with environmental laws means more pollution in the lakes

The long-term impact of the Trump administration on the Great Lakes environment remains a big question – particularly when President Donald Trump was still rolling back environmental protections in the last few months of his term.

Over the length of his term, Trump rolled back a number of rules and regulations, and enforcement of the ones that remained dropped.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/lack-enforcement-compliance-environmental-laws-more-pollution/

Natasha Blakely

Your Federal Tax Dollars: How they are funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Images related to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects are powerful and well-known: jumping Asian carp, overflowing sewage and pollution flowing into waterways and lakes, invasive mussels clogging water infrastructure and blanketing shipwrecks.

But with its hundreds of millions of federal dollars, the initiative is helping to prevent non-native species from invading, support clean up, restore habitat and more.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/federal-tax-dollars-funding-great-lakes-restoration-initiative/

Natasha Blakely

Crisis Response: President Biden has already kickstarted the country’s new approach to climate change

Water levels are swinging from one extreme to another. The Great Lakes are looking at an iceless, warm winter. Severe storms are hitting more frequently.

Climate change has been a contentious issue for the Great Lakes region – and the rest of the nation – as people debate the severity, impacts and need for action.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/crisis-response-president-biden-approach-climate-change/

Natasha Blakely

The Great Lakes Are Bipartisan: As Biden takes office, remember the region’s votes were split

Join Great Lakes Now on Jan. 26 at 7:15 p.m. EST for our “The Great Lakes Agenda” episode premiere Watch Party here. Great Lakes Now Program Director Sandra Svoboda will be hosting alongside guests environmental reporter Kelly House of Bridge Michigan and senior editor and chief correspondent Keith Schneider of Circle of Blue.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/great-lakes-bipartisan-biden-regions-votes-split/

Sandra Svoboda

New Channel: Great Lakes Now anchors Saturday evenings on Michigan Learning Channel

Even the youngest Great Lakes fans can learn more about the world’s largest surface freshwater system – and they can do it while watching educational television.

The Michigan Learning Channel launched statewide earlier this month as a new distance-learning initiative. All six Michigan PBS stations are involved in the channel, with Detroit Public Television leading the effort.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/great-lakes-now-saturday-evenings-michigan-learning-channel/

GLN Editor

Federal Relief: Great Lakes fisheries finally get a cut of COVID-19 relief funds

After being snubbed in 2020, the folks who make their living by fishing the Great Lakes ­­– both commercially and for sport – have been included in the latest round of federal relief from the economic ravages of COVID-19.

With the second round, passed Dec. 27 and known as the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act of 2021, Great Lakes tribal fisheries were included in the $30 million allotted for tribal fisheries nationwide.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/great-lakes-fisheries-federal-covid-19-relief-funds/

Dave Spratt

Biden climate team: “Hard work ahead” to rebuild climate efforts

By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter

Members of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team said rebuilding the government’s ability to combat climate change will be more difficult than initially thought.

According to E&E News, Biden officials said agency review teams found deeper budget cuts, wider staff losses and more systematic elimination of climate programs and research than they realized.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/biden-climate-team-rebuild-efforts/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

Principled Poet: Michigan’s Alison Swan tackles environmental issues on an experiential level in new book

In a Great Lakes world dominated by policy proclamations, fights for funding and the never-ending conflict between the triad of politicians, business and environmental interests, Michigan poet Alison Swan operates on a different level.

Fully cognizant of these struggles, Swan engages them on a human and experiential level through her poetry by calling “the reader to witness, appreciate and sustain this world before it becomes too late,” as described on the cover of her new book, “A Fine Canopy.”

“A Fine Canopy” is a collection of poems based on Swan’s life-long personal experiences, diverse locales where she has lived and material collected over decades.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/michigan-alison-swan-environmental-experiential-poetry-book/

Gary Wilson

PFAS News Roundup: PFAS in Lake Superior smelt, McDonalds drops PFAS packaging, White House weakened EPA guidelines

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.

Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/pfas-news-lake-superior-smelt-wisconsin-settlement-mcdonalds-epa/

Natasha Blakely

Lifeblood: Photographer shares the Lake Erie connection uniting shoreline residents

Along the shores of Lake Erie live a wide range of people whose lives might seem very familiar to or wildly distinctive from your own.

In the documentary photo series North of Long Tail, photographer Colin Boyd Shafer tells the stories of more than 20 residents of Lake Erie’s north shore.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/lifeblood-photographer-lake-erie-shoreline-residents/

Grace Dempsey

Q&A: How to protect against lead as Michigan waits for new water pipes

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/qa-how-to-protect-against-lead-as-michigan-waits-for-new-water-pipes/

Bridge Michigan

Michigan cities must begin replacing lead pipes. But who has the cash?

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/michigan-cities-lead-pipes-funding/

Bridge Michigan

Ex.-Michigan Gov. Snyder charged in Flint water crisis

By Ed White and David Eggert, Associated Press Writers

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/ex-michigan-gov-snyder-charged-in-flint-water-crisis/

The Associated Press

Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe

DETROIT (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told they’re being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2014-15, The Associated Press has learned.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/ap-michigan-plan-charge-ex-gov-snyder-flint-water-probe/

The Associated Press

European Colonists Dramatically Increased North American Erosion Rates

By Rachel Fritts, 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.

Everything wears away in time, but human activities like farming can dramatically accelerate natural erosion rates.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/european-colonists-dramatically-increased-north-american-erosion-rates/

Eos

Enbridge rejects Michigan’s demand to shut down oil pipeline

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge said Tuesday it would defy Michigan’s demand to shut down an oil pipeline that runs through a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, contending that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s decision was based on bad information and political posturing.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/ap-enbridge-rejects-michigan-demand-to-shut-down-oil-pipeline/

The Associated Press

U.S. Justice Dept: Flint company owner dumped millions of gallons of untreated leachate in sewer

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/flint-company-owner-dumped-millions-gallons-untreated-leachate-sewer/

Michigan Radio