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

By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media

This story was originally published by Ideastream.

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

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

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

Ideastream Public Media

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Harnessing Mussels to Filter Fresh Water

By Amalia Medina, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/harnessing-mussels-to-filter-fresh-water/

Circle of Blue

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

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

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

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

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now

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Pennsylvania farmers convicted of poisoning over two dozen migratory birds

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

By Anna Barnes, Great Lakes Echo

Two Pennsylvania farmers have been found guilty of poisoning over two dozen migratory birds with a restricted substance.

Robert Yost and Jacob Reese, located in Econ Valley, Pennsylvania, were found guilty in January of three charges related to poisoning 17 Canada geese, 10 red-winged blackbirds and one mallard duck, according to the U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/pennsylvania-farmers-convicted-of-poisoning-over-two-dozen-migratory-birds/

Great Lakes Echo

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PFAS News Roundup: Impact of PFAS on farming, proposed cuts to the EPA

Keep up with PFAS-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
Farmer Claiming PFAS Pollution From Mine Sent to Arbitration — Bloomberg Law News

An Illinois appellate court on Friday ordered a dispute between a farmer and a mining company over alleged water pollution from firefighting foam used to extinguish a fire at a mining operation be settled in arbitration, reversing a lower court decision.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/pfas-news-roundup-impact-pfas-farming-proposed-cuts-epa/

Kathy Johnson

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What are wetlands for, anyway?

On May 25, the Supreme Court ruled 9 to 0, changing wetland protection in The Clean Water Act. The Sackett family, who took on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), were being fined $40,000 a day for building their Idaho property too close to an unnamed tributary. That tributary feeds into a creek, and that creek feeds into Priest Lake.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/what-are-wetlands-for-anyway/

Lisa John Rogers

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PFAS News Roundup: Questions about the EPA’s nationwide PFAS rule, answered

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

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/pfas-news-roundup-questions-about-the-epas-nationwide-pfas-rule-answered/

Kathy Johnson

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Energy News Roundup: Gas stove debate, electric vehicle expansion

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

  • ComEd seeks record-high $1.5 billion rate hike over next 4 years — Chicago Sun-Times

ComEd says that’s the cost of bolstering the region’s electric grid in a statewide effort to phase out carbon emissions and to protect the system from severe weather damage that’s becoming more common due to climate change.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/energy-news-roundup-gas-stove-debate-electric-vehicle-expansion/

Kathy Johnson

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Energy News Roundup: Renewable natural gas powering Ontario communities, solar projects to power Michigan sites

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 comes in 16th in annual ranking of states’ energy efficiency, behind California, Massachusetts and Minnesota — Chicago Tribune

Illinois ranks 16th nationally in a new energy efficiency scorecard behind Midwest top performers Minnesota and Michigan.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/energy-news-roundup-renewable-natural-gas-ontario-solar-projects-michigan/

Kathy Johnson

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PFAS News Roundup: New regulations approved, new solutions explored

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

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/pfas-news-roundup-new-regulations-approved-new-solutions-explored/

Kathy Johnson

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Drinking Water News Roundup: Report urges Michigan water-affordability strategy, $191 million to target Minnesota water and infrastructure projects

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:

  • Midwest river towns looking for answers after forever chemicals found in water – Illinois Newsroom

This fall, the towns and rural farmsteads along the Mississippi River received alarming news about their drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/drinking-water-news-roundup-report-michigan-water-affordability-strategy-191-million-target-minnesota-water-projects/

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US officials say 2 more places will test sewage for polio

By Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia and Oakland County, Michigan, are joining the small list of U.S. localities that are looking for signs of polio infections in sewage, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the communities will test for polio in sewage for at least four months.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ap-officials-say-more-places-will-test-sewage-polio/

The Associated Press

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Mapping the Great Lakes: Pumpkin production

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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/mapping-the-great-lakes-pumpkin-production/

Alex Hill

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After years of construction, Shell ethane cracker starts up

MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Years in the works, a massive petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania fed by the vast natural gas reservoir underneath Appalachia became fully operational Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell plc said.

The refinery, built on the site of a former zinc smelter along the Ohio River some 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Pittsburgh, will produce 3.5 billion pounds (1.6 billion kilograms) of polyethylene annually when it ramps up to full production by the second half of 2023, Shell said.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/ap-shell-ethane-cracker-starts-up/

The Associated Press

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PFAS News Roundup: States take on “forever chemicals” with bans and lawsuits

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/2022/11/pfas-news-roundup-states-take-on-forever-chemicals-with-bans-and-lawsuits/

Kathy Johnson

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Drinking Water News Roundup: Illinois EPA invests over $70M in drinking water projects, students receive funding for Ohio water quality research

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:

  • Illinois EPA invests over $70M in wastewater, drinking water projects – Daily Journal

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will make more than $70.6 million in water infrastructure loans to local governments and sanitary districts for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-drinking-water-projects-students-ohio-water-quality-research/

GLN Editor

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PFAS News Roundup: Ongoing Upper Peninsula industrial fire raises “forever chemical” concerns, PFAS medical monitoring programs to begin in New York

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/2022/11/pfas-news-roundup-upper-peninsula-industrial-fire-forever-chemical-concerns-medical-monitoring-programs-new-york/

Kathy Johnson

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Know Your State Foods

Do you know if your state has an official food or drink? If you live in the Great Lakes region, chances are your state boasts multiple official foods, drinks and even crops. Some of them – not all – a part of the region’s water-related culture, history and traditions.

Each state chooses their respective official delicacy for a variety of reasons.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/know-your-state-foods/

Capri S. Cafaro

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Drinking Water News Roundup: New water infrastructure funding, projects, programs

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:

 

Indiana:

  • Water renovation project extends municipal water access to hundreds – The Indiana Gazette

Prior to the approximately $12 million project that connected Plumville and Crooked Creek water treatment plants, most residents in the area as well as the school district relied on well water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/drinking-water-news-roundup-new-water-infrastructure-funding-projects-programs/

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Pennsylvania spending $45M to establish 3 new state parks

By Mark Scolforo, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is spending $45 million to add new state parks at a nature preserve in Tunkhannock, on Big Elk Creek in the Philadelphia suburbs and along the Susquehanna River near Wrightsville, officials were set to announce Tuesday.

The additions to the state’s 121-park system will be an existing nearly 700-acre nature preserve on the Vosburg Neck in Wyoming County, a 1,700-acre tract in Chester County and some 1,100 acres in York County.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/ap-pennsylvania-spending-45m-new-state-parks/

The Associated Press

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Drinking Water News Roundup: Steps to ensure safe drinking water, Indigenous business leaders raise awareness

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:

  • Illinois prisons have unsafe water, groups warn – Chicago Sun-Times

Water at Illinois state prisons is contaminated with toxic metals and other potentially harmful contaminants, including the bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease, a coalition of activists said Thursday, urging Gov.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/drinking-water-news-roundup-safe-drinking-water-business-leaders-raise-awareness/

Tynnetta Harris

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In: coal ash, Coal Ash Project, Environmental Justice, epa, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Groundwater Contamination, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Lake Michigan, News, Pennsylvania, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Wisconsin
Reuse can divert coal ash from landfills, but challenges remain

The amount of coal ash in the United States is hard to fathom. There are over 700 impoundments holding more than 2 billion cubic yards of ash — enough to cover the entire state of Pennsylvania one-half inch deep. 

Coal ash includes heavy metals like chromium, arsenic and selenium — linked to higher rates of cancer and other diseases — that can leach into groundwater. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/08/reuse-divert-coal-ash-from-landfills-challenges-remain/

Tom Quinn

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Energy News Roundup: Indiana sees price hikes, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio struggle with solar

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:

  • A decade after ‘EVTown,’ Rivian is making an Illinois city’s electric vehicle vision a reality – Energy News Network

Officials in Normal, Illinois, see Rivian’s growth and corporate culture as a key part of the city’s long-term sustainability plan.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/energy-news-roundup-prices-hikes-solar-struggle/

Natasha Blakely

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In: Alex Hill, Detroit, Equity and Environmental Justice, health, Indiana, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, mapping, Michigan, New York, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Mapping the Great Lakes: How old are our cities?

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/2022/06/mapping-great-lakes-cities/

Alex Hill

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PFAS News Roundup: EPA sets new standards, orders firefighting foam makers to test products

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/2022/06/pfas-news-roundup-epa-standards-firefighting-foam/

Natasha Blakely

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Drinking Water News Roundup: Flooding poses risk to well water, Indiana drinking water report shared, EPA grants for Ohio

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:

  • Illinois American Water Encourages Customers to View their 2021 Community Water Quality Report – Business Wire

Illinois American Water is encouraging customers to view the company’s 2021 water quality reports to learn more about the source and quality of their drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/drinking-water-news-roundup-flooding-risk-epa-grants-ohio/

Tynnetta Harris

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In: AP, Budget, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, legislation, Municipalities, News, Pennsylvania, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Pennsylvania public water utilities say Senate bill will force up rates

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Legislation criticized by opponents as a vehicle for-profit water companies to take over municipal water authorities in Pennsylvania by imposing expensive regulations on them passed the Republican-controlled state Senate on Tuesday.

Opponents also warned that the bill will precipitate ratepayer increases when water authorities must meet the new regulations or after they are forced to sell out to for-profit water companies.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-pennsylvania-senate-bill-rates/

The Associated Press

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Energy News Roundup: Illinois 6th in clean energy capacity, debate over Michigan risk of brownouts, the world’s potential impending energy crisis

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:

  • Keeping Illinois nuclear plants open is saving some customers $237 a year on average – CNBC

In September, Illinois lawmakers passed a watershed clean energy law which established the state as a leader for its efforts to decarbonize.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/energy-news-roundup-impending-energy-crisis/

Natasha Blakely

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In: AP, biden administration, Budget, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, gas, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, News, oil, Pennsylvania, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, wells
Infrastructure plan: $33M to clean up hundreds of oil wells

By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — About $33 million of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan recently signed into law by President Joe Biden will go toward cleanning up 277 of an estimated 15,000 abandoned oil and gas wells on federal land, the nation’s interior secretary said Wednesday.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-infrastructure-plan-clean-up-wells/

The Associated Press

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Drinking Water News Roundup: $3M invested in Illinois water system, coal ash rule means safer water 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:

  • Illinois American Water Announces Investment of Over $3 Million in Sterling Water System During National Infrastructure Week – Business Wire

Illinois American Water is investing over $3 million to replace over 8,600 feet or 1.6 miles of water main throughout the Sterling Water System.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-water-system-coal-ash-indiana/

Tynnetta Harris

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In: canada, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Energy, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, indigenous communities, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Tribal Governments and First Nations, water
FRESH: EPA Recommends Against Minnesota Mining Permit

Fresh is a biweekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing, straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday.

— Laura Gersony, Fresh Editor

This Week’s Watersheds

  • The U.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/fresh-epa-minnesota-mining-permit/

Circle of Blue

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In: Climate change, Energy, Energy News Roundup, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Equity and Environmental Justice, Illinois, Indiana, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Michigan, Minnesota, Municipalities, Natasha Blakely, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Wisconsin
Energy News Roundup: Numerous Great Lakes states grapple with outages and rising rates

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:

  • Warnings of summer brownouts downstate spur scrutiny of Pritzker’s energy law – Crain’s Chicago Business

Electricity costs will soar beginning in June in central and southern Illinois, due to inadequate power supplies following coal-fired plant closures.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/energy-news-roundup-numerous-great-lakes-outages-rising-rates/

Natasha Blakely

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In: Agriculture, Chicago, Climate change, Drinking Water, Drinking Water News Roundup, Illinois, Latest News, Minnesota, Municipalities, Natasha Blakely, News, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Science, Technology, Research, Tribal Governments and First Nations, Wisconsin
Drinking Water News Roundup: First Nation residents call settlement restrictive, Wisconsin towns try regulating big farms, Chicago cans tap water

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:

  • Illinois American Water Ranks #1, J.D.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/drinking-water-news-roundup-first-nation-settlement-wisconsin-towns-chicago-water/

Natasha Blakely

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In: Budget, clean water act, Feature Homepage, Groundwater Contamination, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, News, Pennsylvania, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, pollution, Protect, Rivers, Sharon Oosthoek, The States, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Nonprofit report points to outdated Clean Water Act for the miles of polluted rivers across the U.S.

In 1972, the federal Clean Water Act proclaimed an ambitious goal – “fishable, swimmable” waters across the U.S. by 1983. Today, just over half of assessed river and stream miles across the U.S. remain too polluted for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as drinking water sources.

That assessment comes from a newly released report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), a non-profit group founded in 2002 by former EPA enforcement attorneys.

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Sharon Oosthoek

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16 states that want to electrify USPS fleet file lawsuits

By David Sharp, Associated Press

California and 15 states that want the U.S. Postal Service to electrify its mail delivery vehicles are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks as the agency modernizes its delivery fleet.

Three separate lawsuits, filed Thursday by the states and environmental groups in New York and California, ask judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the next-generation delivery vehicle program.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-states-electrify-usps-lawsuits/

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Coal interests sue to block Pennsylvania’s carbon policy

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Coal-related interests sued on April 28 to block the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change, a carbon-pricing policy that will impose a cost for emitting planet-warming carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-fired power plants.

The lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court by owners of coal-fired power plants, owners of coal mines and labor unions that mine coal and maintain the power plants say the regulation written by Wolf’s administration is “patently unlawful.”

The regulation took effect Saturday after a long regulatory vetting process and fights with a hostile Legislature controlled by Republicans who are historically protective of Pennsylvania’s coal and natural gas industries.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/coal-interests-carbon-policy/

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Big greenhouse gas state taking biggest climate step yet

By Marc Levy, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — More than two years after he started work on it, Gov. Tom Wolf is set to enact the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change, making Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy — but it might be a short-lived victory.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-greenhouse-gas-state-climate-step/

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EXPLAINER: Can climate change be solved by pricing carbon?

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — As climate change bakes the planet, dozens of nations and many local governments are putting a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions that are increasing flooding, droughts and other costly catastrophes.

Pennsylvania on Saturday becomes the first major fossil fuel-producing state in the U.S.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/climate-change-pricing-carbon/

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FRESH: Wisconsin Judge Strikes Down Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Cleanup Rule

Fresh is a biweekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing, straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday.

— Laura Gersony, Fresh Editor

This Week’s Watersheds

  • A court ruling out of Wisconsin hamstrings the state’s cleanup of toxic “forever chemicals.”
  • Quebec becomes the first jurisdiction in North America to ban fossil fuel extraction.

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Drinking Water News Roundup: EPA won’t regulate rocket fuel, Illinois prison water contaminated with Legionella

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:

  • Illinois advocates call for action after prison officials mislead on contaminated water – The Appeal

On March 11, IDOC and the Illinois Department of Public Health released a joint press release announcing that Legionella bacteria had been detected in two prisons—Stateville Correctional Center and Joliet Treatment Center.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/drinking-water-news-roundup-epa-rocket-fuel-prison-water-contaminated/

Natasha Blakely

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Governor appeals court order blocking carbon emissions plan

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has asked the state’s highest court to let the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change take effect and make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.

The filing late Thursday in the state Supreme Court appealed a two-day old decision by the lower Commonwealth Court which, in a one-line unsigned order, barred the official publication of the Democratic governor’s regulation “pending further order.”

The regulation had been scheduled to be published on Saturday, making it official.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-governor-appeals-court-order-carbon-emissions/

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GOP’s energy promises face limits in Pa. governor’s race

By Marc Levy, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican Bill McSwain pledges to be a pro-energy governor by “turning on the spigot of natural gas.” Another hopeful, Dave White, says he wants Pennsylvania “to be the energy capital of the world.” A third candidate, Lou Barletta, says having a glut of natural gas in the ground without a pipeline is “like being in college and having a keg of beer without a tap.”

In Pennsylvania, the No.

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PFAS News Roundup: Pennsylvania sets regulations, judge says Wisconsin DNR can’t regulate, Chemours uses climate change to defend PFAS

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.

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Natasha Blakely

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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.

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

Natasha Blakely

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Natasha Blakely

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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.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/pfas-news-roundup-indiana-new-ohio-pfas-regulation-bill/

Maya Sundaresan

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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.

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Drinking Water News Roundup: Illinois Well Inspections, New York Water Funding

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:

  • Illinois EPA invests over $65.6 Million in wastewater and drinking water projects in second quarter of FY22 – WAND TV

Three of the loan recipients qualified for a total of more than $3 million in principal forgiveness.

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Natasha Blakely

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Judge’s connection to driller at issue in Pa. pollution case

By Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press

The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office indicated it might seek removal of a judge expected to preside over a criminal case in which he has ties to the defendant — the state’s biggest gas driller, which is charged with polluting residential water supplies in a community where residents famously were able to light their tap water on fire.

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