Everything to know about microplastics in the Great Lakes

Shortly after Chelsea Rochman moved to Toronto to start her current faculty job at University of Toronto, she began working with the Government of Canada to sample microplastics in fish from Lake Ontario. What she found, she said, shocked her. They found microplastics in every single fish they tested. Every single fish.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/everything-to-know-about-microplastics-in-the-great-lakes/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

EPA nixes PFAS grants, teases new strategy

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On April 15, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff were told to cancel tens of millions of dollars worth of pending and active grants.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/epa-nixes-pfas-grants-teases-new-strategy/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

Susan Crawford’s Wisconsin Supreme Court win could be a win for PFAS

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On Tuesday, April 1, Susan Crawford won Wisconsin’s contentious Supreme Court election.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/susan-crawfords-wisconsin-supreme-court-win-could-be-a-win-for-pfas/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

Could Lake Erie really become Lake Ohio?

On March 14, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that perhaps Lake Erie should be changed to Lake Ohio. 

According to reporting from Cleveland.com:

“Anybody think if there’s a Lake Michigan, maybe there should be a Lake Ohio around here?” Ramaswamy said, about 13 miles away from Lake Erie.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/could-lake-erie-really-become-lake-ohio/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

Cancer-causing PFAS to be added to Canada’s toxic substance list

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On March 5, Canada released its final State of PFAS report, and announced that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) would be added to the toxic substances list.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/cancer-causing-pfas-to-be-added-to-canadas-toxic-substance-list/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

Stunning new research reveals the Great Lakes pre-date North America

It is widely known by lovers of the Great Lakes that their unique shape was caused by glaciers melting and receding northward. That was approximately 20,000 years ago. However, new research published in Geophysical Research Letters suggests this treasured landmass started forming hundreds of millions of years ago, long before the theory of plate tectonics, when Pangea likely separated into the continents we recognize today. 

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/stunning-new-research-reveals-the-great-lakes-pre-date-north-america/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

What a recent Supreme Court ruling could mean for the future of the Clean Water Act

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of San Francisco in a case about the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) sewage permits issued under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The court ruled that the EPA’s “end-result” water pollution permits are too speculative and that the EPA overstepped its authority in the case of San Francisco v.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/what-a-recent-supreme-court-ruling-could-mean-for-the-future-of-the-clean-water-act/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

New York’s proposed PFAS legislation and other Great Lakes states latest efforts to combat ‘forever chemicals’

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

On February 5, New York state lawmakers announced a group of five bills aimed to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure for New York residents.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/new-york-proposed-pfas-legislation-other-great-lakes-states-efforts-combat-forever-chemicals/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

Study shows smart watch wristbands contain PFAS, meanwhile EPA tracks nine new versions of ‘forever chemicals’

Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.

A new study out of Notre Dame shows that some smart watch wristbands, often labeled as waterproof, contain unusually high levels of “forever chemicals.” In a university press release, it was noted that nine out of the 22 bands tested, showed elevated levels of a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS).

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/01/study-shows-smart-watch-wristbands-contain-pfas-meanwhile-epa-tracks-nine-new-versions-of-forever-chemicals/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Biden administration updates chemical regulations for PFAS, while Trump allies already voice plans to roll them back

On Wednesday, December 5, the Biden administration updated the New Chemicals Regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to reporting by Rachel Frazin of The Hill, this aims to prevent a family of chemicals (or chemical cousins) known as PFAS from being approved through Low Volume Exemptions, “abridged reviews given to chemicals that will only be produced in small quantities.” 

Meanwhile, according to recent reporting from The Guardian, the incoming chair of the Senate environmental committee said in a hearing last week that she would target portions of new PFAS regulations.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/12/pfas-roundup-biden-administration-updates-chemical-regulations-for-pfas-while-trump-allies-already-voice-plans-to-roll-them-back/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

5 Reasons to Build a Backyard Frog Pond

Great Lakes Now recently sat down with Margot Fass of the non-profit group, A Frog House. Located in Pittsfield, New York on the banks of the Erie Canal and on the edge of the Lake Ontario sub-basin. A Frog House helps to encourage ecological education, local advocacy and collaboration around clean water and thriving wetlands.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/5-reasons-to-build-a-backyard-frog-pond/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Minnesota votes to continue conservation and PFAS cleanup, Indiana ends firefighter foam collection program

Over 77% of voters in Minnesota approved an extension of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF), that will continue to pay for conservation efforts for another 25 years. Funding for this casts a wide net, from outdoor education and trail investments, to invasive species and PFAS removal. The ENRTF was approved as an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution of the State in 1988, and generates funding from the Minnesota State Lottery. 

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/11/pfas-roundup-minnesota-votes-to-continue-conservation-and-pfas-cleanup-indiana-ends-firefighter-foam-collection-program/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Vice President Harris supports Michigan-led plan to provide medical care for military victims of PFAS

Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Dan Kildee introduced The Veterans Exposed to Toxic PFAS Act in July of 2023. Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris announced her support for the bill as a part of her presidential campaign. If passed, this would make it easier for veterans who were exposed to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) while serving to access medical benefits and disability. 

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/pfas-roundup-vice-president-harris-supports-michigan-led-plan-to-provide-medical-care-for-military-victims-of-pfas/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Minnesota PFAS regulation said to be the strictest

In a few months, many products with “forever chemicals” will be officially banned in Minnesota. Known as Amara’s Law, starting January 1, 2025 resident’s won’t be able to sell or distribute products with intentionally added PFAS from cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, juvenile products, menstruation products, textile furnishing, ski wax, upholstered furniture, cleaning products, or carpets and rugs — accirding to Vice Magazine.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/pfas-roundup-minnesota-pfas-regulation-said-to-be-the-strictest/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Four Great Lakes’s states selected to test residents annually for environmental chemical exposure

Six states were selected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to be awarded $5 million in order to test residents for environmental chemical exposures — like PFAS. Four out of the six states are located along the Great Lakes including Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New York. These biomonitoring grants start September 2024 and go until 2027. 

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/pfas-roundup-four-great-lakess-states-selected-to-test-residents-annually-for-environmental-chemical-exposure/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Wisconsin PFAS remediation funds still frozen due to partisan divide

Last week, Eau Claire, Wisconsin finally broke ground on a $20 million PFAS removal facility. The previous year, the city filed a lawsuit against multiples chemical manufacturers, demanding they cleanup after more than half of the city’s wells shutdown in 2021 due to contamination. However, many other municipalities across Wisconsin remain in a state of limbo.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/pfas-roundup-wisconsin-pfas-remediation-funds-still-frozen-due-to-partisan-divide/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: Government of Canada introduces potential plan for product-related PFAS regulation

Last month, the Government of Canada announced a plan to expand product-related regulations for per- and polyflourinated substances (PFAS). The Minister of Environment and Climate Change plus the Minister of Health are considering whether PFAS qualify for the Watch List under section 75.1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/pfas-roundup-government-of-canada-introduces-potential-plan-for-product-related-pfas-regulation/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS Roundup: EPA adds 12 more versions of PFAS to freshwater fish monitoring while federal farm bills focus on “forever chemicals”

On Thursday, July 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated recommendations under the Clean Water Act, adding twelve versions of PFAS to the contaminant list along with amphetamine, three cyanotoxins, a flame retardant, and lead. The EPA noted that these are all pollutants that states, territories, and Tribes are recommended to monitor in local freshwater fish.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/pfas-roundup-epa-adds-12-more-versions-of-pfas-to-freshwater-fish-monitoring-while-federal-farm-bills-focus-on-forever-chemicals/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS News Roundup: End of Chevron deference may intensify drinking water contamination by further delaying PFAS cleanup, experts warn

In an article by the Wisconsin Examiner, legal experts cited the myriad of ways the Supreme Court ruling on Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the Chevron deference, will likely harm future PFAS litigation. The decision came just days after a group of utilities and chemical companies filed three lawsuits in the U.S.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/pfas-news-roundup-end-of-chevron-deference-may-intensify-drinking-water-contamination-by-further-delaying-pfas-cleanup-experts-warn/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS New Roundup: PFAS are shown to be unique bipartisan voting concern in Wisconsin

Nearly 70% of Wisconsin voters polled by Marquette University Law School showed concern about PFAS in drinking water. A uniquely uniting force from across the political aisle, which is not reflected at the state level. Last week, elected officials were once again deadlocked over how to spend the $125 million that was set aside — in May 2023 — to solve the crisis.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/pfas-new-roundup-pfas-are-shown-to-be-unique-bipartisan-voting-concern-in-wisconsin/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

PFAS News Roundup: Landmark EPA decision implements first nation-wide PFAS limit in drinking water

In Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday, April 10, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the nation’s first ever drinking water standards for PFAS. Limits will be capped at the lowest possible limit, about 4 parts per trillion. The Biden-Harris Administration concurrently announced a $1 billion investment to update water treatment plants around the country.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/pfas-news-roundup-landmark-epa-decision-implements-first-nation-wide-pfas-limit-in-drinking-water/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

Charting a Safer Course: Mitigating flood risk in Great Lakes states

The summer of 2023 saw rainstorms that caused extreme flooding across the Great Lakes.

Cities like Cleveland, Chicago and Duluth were all affected this year. Amid rising concerns over the increasing frequency and severity of flooding in the Great Lakes region, a new study unveils crucial insights into each state’s preparedness.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/charting-a-safer-course-mitigating-flood-risk-in-great-lakes-states/

Lisa John Rogers

Keeping an eye on Michigan’s current environmental legislation

Quite a few bills are going through Michigan State Congress that are poised to radically reshape the state’s approach to energy. These proposed legislations signal Michigan’s commitment to the climate crisis, and could set the stage for a significant shift in the state’s environmental policies. The House introduced bills that environmentalists are keeping their eyes on, many of which would solidify elements of with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan into law.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/keeping-an-eye-on-michigans-current-environmental-legislation/

Lisa John Rogers

Behind the shipwreck discovered in Lake Michigan

A 150-year-old schooner that sank in 1881, was finally discovered in Lake Michigan. On July 15, maritime historians, Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck located the old shipwreck off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin. The Trinidad was on their radar for more than twenty years, as the ship was a strong candidate for research; the captain and his eight crew members all survived (except their trusted Newfoundland), providing a good description of where the vessel sank.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/behind-shipwreck-discovered-lake-michigan/

Lisa John Rogers