Global warming may impact Great Lakes beaches

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

By Yue Jiang, Great Lakes Echo

Global warming will produce more frequent high rainfall events in the Upper Great Lakes, according to a University of Guelph expert.

Rather than average water levels falling as previously assumed, it’s possible that the average will increase because of more precipitation, which will constrict the beach area, said emeritus professor Robin Davidson-Arnott of the Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/global-warming-impact-great-lakes-beaches/

Great Lakes Echo

Michigan is spending big on infrastructure. Its problems are even bigger.

By Jonathan Oosting and 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/2022/04/michigan-infrastructure-problems/

Bridge Michigan

PFAS is a widespread problem. The solution needs to come from widespread sources

PFAS research is still in the early stages, which means issues with PFAS crop up all the time to surprise researchers like Michigan State University professor Cheryl Murphy.

PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as Forever Chemicals because of their reluctance to break down in humans. They can be in the food chain, drinking water and are found in common items in everyday commercial use like water-repellent clothing, dental floss and non-stick cookware.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pfas-solution-widespread-sources/

Gary Wilson

Earth Day 2022: What can you do and where?

In-person events are back as people slowly reintroduce themselves to dining in, large gatherings and a return to the office.

But even as indoors becomes less taboo, let’s not forget the great outdoors, which served us well over the past two years. And what better time to show your gratitude to the parks than Earth Day.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/earth-day-2022/

Natasha Blakely

The Catch: Benton Harbor’s lead pipes and the plan to replace them

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

Benton Harbor’s water problems aren’t new.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/the-catch-benton-harbor-lead-pipes/

Sandra Svoboda

State praised for vow to remove sources of lead from Benton Harbor homes

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/2022/04/vow-remove-lead-benton-harbor-homes/

Bridge Michigan

Lakeside Gentrification: Waterfront properties and water access grow steadily further out of reach

Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part story. Look for the next part next week.

Every summer for the last decade, James Peterson, his wife and two daughters traveled from Charleston, West Virginia, to Kaspar’s Lake Breeze Cottages in Marblehead, Ohio, to fish, relax and soak up the beauty and restorative power of Lake Erie.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/water-access-grows-out-of-reach/

James Proffitt

‘We’ve got to get gaming out of our blood’: Pandemic shock pushes Wisconsin tribes to diversify economy

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

By Mario Koran, Wisconsin Watch

This story is part of a collaborative series, “At the Crossroads,” from the Institute for Nonprofit News, Indian Country Today, Wisconsin Watch and eight other news partners, examining the state of the economy in Indian Country.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pandemic-shock-pushes-wisconsin-tribes-to-diversify-economy/

Wisconsin Watch

Pennsylvania court blocks governor’s carbon emissions plan

By Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania court on April 5 blocked the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change, the latest challenge to the Democrat’s effort to make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pennsylvania-court-blocks-governors-carbon-emissions-plan/

The Associated Press

Ohio legislation eases state regulation of some streams

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press

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

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

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ohio-legislation-state-regulation-streams/

The Associated Press

Easier Ride for Fossils, But $9.1B in Climate Funding as Ottawa Releases 2030 Plan

By Mitchell Beer, The Energy Mix 

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

The fossil and transportation sectors get a relatively free ride and electricity producers do the most to decarbonize in the much-anticipated 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan released March 29 by Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/climate-funding-ottawa-2030-plan/

The Energy Mix

US taps $420M to boost water supplies hit by climate change

By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials slated millions of dollars for rural water projects in several states, with the Biden administration looking to shore up infrastructure needs made more urgent by long-term drought conditions that have been exacerbated by climate change.

The U.S.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-420m-water-supplies-climate-change/

The Associated Press

Illinois environmental justice bill would help residents prevent pollution

By Kari Lydersen, Energy News Network

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

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

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/illinois-environmental-justice-bill-prevent-pollution/

Energy News Network

Minnesota bill aims to close a gap on funding for ‘pre-weatherization’ work

By Frank Jossi, Energy News Network

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

A lack of state funding to help Minnesota homeowners clean up mold, asbestos and other hazards is limiting the reach of federal weatherization programs in the state, preventing some of those most in need from accessing benefits.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/minnesota-bill-funding-pre-weatherization-work/

Energy News Network

Great Lakes Moment: Historic Great Lakes agreement reaches golden anniversary

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.

The Great Lakes represent one-fifth the standing freshwater on the Earth’s surface, provide ecosystem services or benefits to approximately 34 million people living in the basin, and serve as the foundation for the $5 trillion regional economy that would be one of the largest in the world if it stood alone as a country.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-moment-historic-great-lakes-agreement-anniversary/

John Hartig

Meet the person making Great Lakes ice popular on TikTok

Geo Rutherford is an artist and an educator based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But what a lot of people might recognize her from the most is the social media application TikTok, where Rutherford runs an account making pretty popular videos all about the Great Lakes.

Though originally from Colorado, Rutherford went to school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and stuck around in Milwaukee after graduation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-ice-popular-tiktok/

Natasha Blakely

Meet the person making Great Lakes ice popular on TikTok

Geo Rutherford is an artist and an educator based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But what a lot of people might recognize her from the most is the social media application TikTok, where Rutherford runs an account making pretty popular videos all about the Great Lakes.

Though originally from Colorado, Rutherford went to school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and stuck around in Milwaukee after graduation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-ice-popular-tiktok/

Natasha Blakely

Energy News Roundup: Weatherization money going to states for low-income homes, misinformation derails energy projects

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

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Illinois:

  • Illinois AG files suit against Marathon over crude oil spill in Cahokia Creek – KSDK

The lawsuit filed against Marathon Pipe Line in Madison County Court alleges multiple violations of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/weatherization-money-low-income-homes-misinformation-energy-projects/

Natasha Blakely

Michigan Gov. Whitmer signs over $4.7B for infrastructure

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is investing more than $4.7 billion to improve infrastructure, including drinking water upgrades, internet access and fixing roads, bridges and dams.

The spending plan includes some of the biggest infrastructure investments in state history, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday before signing the bipartisan legislation in Grand Rapids.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-gov-whitmer-signs-4-7b-infrastructure/

The Associated Press

Report: Climate change threatens these 29 Michigan chemical sites

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/2022/03/climate-change-threatens-michigan-chemical-sites/

Bridge Michigan

Michigan parks, more popular than ever, struggle to staff up for summer

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/2022/03/michigan-parks-struggle-staff-up-summer/

Bridge Michigan

Small portions: Michigan puts PFAS advisory on Lake Superior rainbow smelt

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/2022/03/pfas-advisory-lake-superior-rainbow-smelt/

Bridge Michigan

DNR issues expansion permit for Kewaunee County factory farm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced March 25 it will issue a permit that will make it harder for a Kewaunee County factory farm accused of contaminating drinking water to expand.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the permit caps the number of cows at the Kinnard Farms facility at about 8,000 head, the number of cows the farm currently houses.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/dnr-issues-expansion-permit-for-kewaunee-county-factory-farm/

The Associated Press

The pandemic that closed the U.S./Canadian border to people may have opened it to the invasive sea lamprey

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

By Danielle James, Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes invasive species cling to shipments and navigate canals to migrate, but one aquatic invader – sea lamprey – benefitted from border closures instead.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/border-opened-invasive-sea-lamprey/

Great Lakes Echo

Michigan Legislature approves $4.8B infrastructure plan

By David Eggert, Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers approved $4.8 billion in spending March 24, mostly for infrastructure upgrades, with an influx of federal pandemic and other funds that will go toward water systems, roads, parks and other priorities including affordable housing.

The huge supplemental budget plan, which Gov.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-michigan-legislature-approves-infrastructure-plan/

The Associated Press

Surf and Slide: The Great Lakes Now Episode Quiz

Great Lakes Now tries to make every episode interesting and educational.

In “Surf and Slide,” GLN Host Ward Detwiler learns ice boating from one of the best in the world – right in southeast Michigan. Follow along with the all-women surfing group Lake Surfistas as they strive to make lake surfing more welcoming and stay warm in winter waves.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/surf-and-slide-episode-quiz/

Natasha Blakely

Drinking Water News Roundup: Best tasting water in the world in Ohio, nation’s worst waterways in Indiana

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:

  • Gladstone warns residents of water nitrate levels, says infants younger than 6 months should not drink it—WQAD8

The Village of Gladstone is warning residents with infants younger than 6 months of high levels of nitrate in the town’s drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/drinking-water-news-roundup-best-tasting-water-ohio-worst-waterways-indiana/

Maya Sundaresan

Episode 2203: Sailing Close to the Winter Wind

This lesson will explore the phenomenon of wind in the winter through the pastime of ice boating to learn about the science behind how winds are produced, sailboats move, and how wind can be a renewable source of energy. Learners will engage in design projects to build a wind-powered sail cart, anemometer, and windmill.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/2203-ice-boating-lesson-plan/

Gary Abud Jr.

Surfing the Great Lakes: Want to know where to start?

Sunny weather, bikinis and board shorts, the salt spray of the ocean – surfing tends to conjure a very specific image in most people’s minds, and it’s on the ocean coasts, not the freshwater ones in the Midwest.

But to a small community around the Great Lakes region, surfing looks very different – featuring more full-body coverage and ice-cold weather.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/surfing-great-lakes-where-to-start/

Natasha Blakely

Mapping the Great Lakes: Lighthouse search

Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/mapping-great-lakes-lighthouses/

Alex Hill

Surfing the Great Lakes: ‘What? People do that here?’

On a cool fall day in 2007, Robin Pacquing slipped on a wetsuit, grabbed a surfboard and headed into Lake Ontario.

As a teenager, Pacquing had been a huge Baywatch fan and learned to love surfing during a family trip to Hawaii. As an adult, she went on to surf the waves off Tofino, British Colombia, never dreaming she might do the same just outside her door.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/surfing-great-lakes/

Sharon Oosthoek

Chicago educator empowers students to make climate connections in their own communities

By Audrey Henderson, Energy News Network

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

For many city kids, flowers have cut stems and vegetables are packed in styrofoam and plastic on shelves in the grocery store.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/chicago-educator-empowers-students-climate-connections-communities/

Energy News Network

5 Reasons to Love (and Protect) Freshwater Mussels

By Tara Lohan, The Revelator

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

In September the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the federal list of endangered species — not because they’d rebounded, sadly, but because they are believed to be extinct.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/reasons-to-love-freshwater-mussels/

The Revelator

PFAS News Roundup: Indiana PFAS property transfers, Lake Superior rainbow smelt advisory, new Ohio PFAS regulation bill

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/2022/03/pfas-news-roundup-indiana-new-ohio-pfas-regulation-bill/

Maya Sundaresan

Black Neighborhoods Will Bear Future Flood Burden

By Kimberly M. S. Cartier, Eos

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

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

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/black-neighborhoods-future-flood-burden/

Eos

Judge: Ex-governor must testify in Flint water civil trial

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and several other officials must testify in a civil trial involving engineering firms being sued over liability for lead-contaminated water connected to the Flint water crisis, a judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge Judith Levy denied motions by Snyder, his former advisor, two former state-appointed emergency managers and an ex-Flint city official to quash subpoenas compelling them to testify.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-ex-governor-testify-flint-water-civil-trial/

The Associated Press

Who caught the world’s largest muskie? Even the experts don’t agree

The largest known muskie is 67 pounds 8 ounces. Or it’s 69 pounds 11 ounces. Or it’s 70 pounds 10 ounces. Depending on the type of record, whom you ask or what organization you trust, it ­­could be any of those answers.

After Great Lakes Now published a column on muskies that referenced record sizes, it kicked off a dispute among readers on what record was the most accurate, so Great Lakes Now decided to do a deeper dive.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/who-caught-worlds-largest-muskie/

Kathy Johnson

Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio

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

By Shelby Frink, Great Lakes Echo

A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state.

The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years, said Mark Warman, the scientist who found the plant on private property last September after his friend posted photos on the social network iNaturalist.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/native-aquatic-plant-ohio/

Great Lakes Echo

Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio

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

By Shelby Frink, Great Lakes Echo

A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state.

The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years, said Mark Warman, the scientist who found the plant on private property last September after his friend posted photos on the social network iNaturalist.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/native-aquatic-plant-ohio/

Great Lakes Echo

Hydropower eyes bigger energy role, less environmental harm

By Suman Naishadham, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that for decades helped barges move goods along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers will in a few years also generate enough power for 75,000 homes.

Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is retrofitting the dams with turbines to generate electricity and says the upgraded structures will limit damage to the rivers’ water quality and fish.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-hydropower-bigger-energy-role-less-environmental-harm/

The Associated Press

La Crosse officials to spend another $25K on bottled water

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — The city council in La Crosse has decided to spend another $25,000 on bottled water for town of Campbell residents with PFAS-contaminated wells.

The La Crosse Tribune reported March 11 that the council voted March 10 to pull the money from the city’s contingency fund.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-la-crosse-25k-bottled-water/

The Associated Press

I Speak for the Fish: Playing peek-a-boo with the ducks

I’ve been outsmarted by more than one species.

A red fox in a Florida nature preserve comes to mind. I observed the fox entering a den and spent two hours patiently waiting for it to emerge so I could take its picture – only to discover the clever fellow had exited out the back shortly after I parked myself out front.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/playing-peek-a-boo-with-ducks/

Kathy Johnson

Legislation introduced for Great Lakes Authority, a new federal entity for the Great Lakes region

During the March “Great Lakes Week” organized by the Great Lakes Commission, Rep. Marcy Kaptur talked about the Great Lakes Authority.

The Great Lakes Authority, which would be a federal entity focused on the economic interests of the Great Lakes region, is an idea that the congresswoman has fought to put into legislation for a few years already.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/legislation-great-lakes-authority-federal-entity/

Natasha Blakely

Evers lashes out at conservatives over PFAS standards

By Todd Richmond, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Thursday at conservative members of the Department of Natural Resources policy board for refusing to set limits on a group of chemicals known as PFAS in Wisconsin’s groundwater.

The board in February adopted limits for drinking water and surface water but rejected the Department of Natural Resources’ recommendations to impose a 20 parts per trillion limit for groundwater after conservative board members voiced concerns about the cost of replacing or remediating wells with contamination that exceeds that bench mark.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/evers-conservatives-pfas-standards/

The Associated Press

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

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

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

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/substantive-change-federal-state-local-agencies/

Gary Wilson

New Ontario watercraft regulations fight invasive species

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

By Arya Dara, Great Lakes Echo

New legislation in Ontario can result in a fine if boats are not cleaned properly when they are moved from one body of water and into another.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ontario-watercraft-regulations-invasive-species/

Great Lakes Echo

Key justice skeptical of removing holdover DNR board member

By Todd Richmond, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s swing justice appeared skeptical Thursday about whether to remove a conservative Department of Natural Resources board member who refuses to step down even though his term ended almost a year ago.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul sued in August to oust Fred Prehn from the board. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-key-justice-dnr-board-member/

The Associated Press

DNR extends comment period on Enbridge line reroute

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The comment period on a draft analysis of the environmental impact of rerouting an oil and gas pipeline around an American Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin will run for an additional month, state regulators announced Wednesday.

The Enbridge Line 5 pipeline carries oil and natural gas liquids from Superior to Sarnia.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-dnr-extends-comment-period-enbridge-reroute/

The Associated Press

Indiana University study links lead exposure to juvenile delinquency

By Timberly Ferree, Indiana Environmental Reporter

In the first direct analysis of its kind, a study by Indiana University researchers has found a link between lead in drinking water, specifically from private wells, and juvenile delinquency.

“There’s not been a direct analysis on lead exposure and children’s outcomes later in life before.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/study-lead-exposure-juvenile-delinquency/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

Great Lakes Boat Building School to expand with COVID-19 relief grant funding

In Lake Huron’s Les Cheneaux Islands, a school is preserving the craft of building wooden boats.

Opened in 2005, the Great Lakes Boat Building School is located in Cedarville, Michigan, a small town tucked in the scenic bays and natural harbors of the area. A few dozen students a year learn how to build wooden boats.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-boat-building-school-grant-funding/

Natasha Blakely