Not to overshare and get too personal, but I don’t deal well with change.
Unfortunately, as evidenced by the past two years, unexpected change is unavoidable.
What a lot of people – including me for a while – don’t seem to realize about change is that it isn’t temporary.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/year-in-review-2021-change/
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The lengthy effort to clean up the Buffalo River could pay off in the next few years.
The Buffalo News reported Sunday that the federal Environmental Protection Agency has told a local U.S. representative that the winding waterway could lose its status as an environmental danger zone, or “area of concern,” by 2025.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-buffalo-river-cleanup-efforts/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hannah Brock, Great Lakes Echo
Researchers are studying a long-vanished village near southern Lake Michigan that a World War II arsenal helped preserve.
A recent study by archaeologists sought to learn about those who lived at what is now the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/wwii-armory-preserves-indigenous/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/pfas-news-roundup-water/
By Kari Lydersen
This story was republished with permission from Energy News Network.
Coal ash will remain in the ground at the site of a closing coal plant on the shores of Lake Michigan in Waukegan, Illinois.
Owner NRG explained its plans on Dec.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/historic-coal-ash-concerns/
Everyone loves Monty and Rose – and Great Lakes Now featured the charming piping plover pair earlier this year.
Now Monty and Rose have chicks and even grand-chicks, many of whom are thriving as they fly south for the winter.
Chicago-based filmmaker Bob Dolgan has documented the progress of Monty and Rose and their offspring over the years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/monty-rose-chicago-plovers/
By Lindsey Smith, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/benton-harbor-residents-pay-water/
Big waves pounding Midwestern city waterfronts are common images around the Great Lakes, which means communities are dealing with the impacts of storms that are increasing in frequency and severity.
One of those cities has been making strides in improving its resiliency while preserving its culture – Duluth, Minnesota.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/superior-stewardship-duluth/
Earlier this month, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared December 2021 as “Christmas Tree Month” in Michigan.
It’s a move that makes sense — the Christmas tree industry provides jobs and bolsters the national and state economy.
“Michigan’s integrated network of family farmers, processors, wholesalers and retailers, work together to ensure a quality product that is enjoyed by millions throughout our state and country,” Whitmer said in a statement.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/christmas-tree-environmentally-friendly/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/high-costs-benton-harbor-water/
By Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press
Nearly 50 toxic waste sites around the U.S. will be cleaned up, and ongoing work at dozens of others will get a funding boost, as federal environmental officials announced Friday a $1 billion infusion to the Superfund program.
The money comes from the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last month and will help officials tackle a backlog of highly polluted Superfund sites in 24 states that have languished for years because of a lack of funding, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-epa-toxic-waste-sites/
By Scott Bauer, Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state appeals court on Thursday refused to reinstate a permit for a proposed $75 million frac sand operation in western Wisconsin, a victory for environmentalists who have been fighting for years to protect the 16 acres (6.5 hectares) of pristine wetlands.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-court-frac-sand-plant/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A new federal regulation requires higher safety standards for pipelines carrying oil and other hazardous liquids through the Great Lakes region, marine coastal waters and beaches, officials said Thursday.
The rule issued by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration designates those locations as “high consequence” zones where pipeline operators must step up inspections, repairs and other measures to avoid spills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-safety-standards-pipelines/
Denia Djokić first got interested in nuclear engineering because of climate change. That was nearly two decades ago when she was a college student at UC Berkeley and learned how energy issues were central to create a more sustainable planet.
“When we’re 21, we want to go out and save the world,” she said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/nuclear-waste-great-lakes-region/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Nicholas Simon, Great Lakes Echo
Efforts by politicians to create a hunting season for eastern sandhill cranes in both Wisconsin and Michigan are stirring debates among hunters, farmers and birders.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/eastern-sandhill-cranes-hunt/
By Michael Phillis, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The amount of lead in Benton Harbor, Michigan’s drinking water has declined, new testing shows, after three straight years of elevated results compelled residents to consume bottled water and prompted a hurried effort to replace old pipes.
Lead levels in the majority Black city’s drinking water are now just within standards set by the state that if exceeded, force a utility to take corrective action and inform residents of a problem, according to state officials.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-tests-lead-benton-harbor/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge Energy moved Wednesday to shift to federal court a Michigan lawsuit seeking shutdown of an oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes.
The Canadian company argued that a 2019 lawsuit filed in a state court by Attorney General Dana Nessel should be heard by U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-enbridge-federal-jurisdiction/
The seemingly endless process of crafting, negotiating and passing the infrastructure legislation is over.
The bill topped out at a trillion dollars, and $1 billion of that funding is coming to the Great Lakes region for continued restoration of the lakes. That’s in addition to the ongoing federal funding of over $300 million annually the lakes have received since 2010.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/epa-toxic-sediment-funding/
By Michael Casey, Associated Press
HOLDERNESS, N.H. (AP) — Navigating her boat toward a wooden platform floating in an idyllic New Hampshire lake where “On Golden Pond” was filmed, biologist Tiffany Grade spotted what she had feared.
An olive brown loon’s egg with black speckles was sitting on an nest, abandoned by its parents and with no chance to hatch.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-pcbs-threat-wildlife/
Great Lakes communities on both sides of the border have diversion and reclamation programs for plastics, hoping to keep the trash out of the lakes.
But how everyday people can deal with microscopic pieces of plastic is a more challenging question. Now a two-year-long study into washing machine filters in an Ontario community shows something can be done.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/study-washing-machine-microfibers/
By Mohamed Ibrahim, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota lakes have lost nearly two weeks of lake ice over the past 50 years as climate change diminishes the state’s winters, officials from Minnesota’s natural resources and pollution control agencies said Friday.
According to newly released data from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources, the state has lost an average of 10 to 14 days of lake ice over the past 50 years — a change officials say is hurting local economies, the environment and the Minnesota way of life.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-minnesota-lake-climate-change/
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:
Indiana:
Duke Energy Indiana set aside over $330,000 for customers facing difficulty paying their winter electricity bills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/energy-news-roundup-financial-assistance-program/
A group of Wisconsin water utilities are urging the state Department of Natural Resources to scrap plans to impose limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water, saying the agency hasn’t thought through the costs.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported Thursday that the Municipal Environmental Group’s water division submitted comments to the DNR on Tuesday saying the state should wait for the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-water-utilities-pfas-limits/
By Amy Westervelt, The Nation
This story originally appeared in The Nation and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
In the past few months, climate disinformation has been making its way into the news more than usual.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/climate-change-disinformation/
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 is expected to receive roughly $1.7 billion from the federal infrastructure bill to help address the issue of lead pipes in the state.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/drinking-water-roundup-infrastructure-funding/
Approximately 85,000 homeowners in the Great Lakes region will see rate reductions for the first time because of the National Flood Insurance Program’s new risk rating system, experts say.
The flood insurance program is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It provides coverage to property owners, renters and businesses to help them recover from floods faster.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/flood-risk-assessment-reduce-insurance-rates/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
Oil giant BP agreed Thursday to pay a $512,450 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its Whiting refinery in Indiana under an agreement with regulators and activists who accused the company of violating an earlier deal.
The U.S. District Court settlement modifies a previous consent decree that required BP Products North America Inc.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-bp-500k-penalty-soot-indiana/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/cost-water-michigan-affordability-problems/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer abandoned a lawsuit Tuesday aimed at shutting down an oil pipeline that runs through part of the Great Lakes but said the state would continue pursuing a separate case with the same goal.
Whitmer’s legal maneuver followed a federal judge’s decision earlier this month to retain jurisdiction over a suit brought by Enbridge Energy after the state revoked an easement allowing Line 5 to cross the Straits of Mackinac.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-michigan-drops-oil-pipeline-suit/
By Michael Phillis, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — For years, testing of the tap water in an upscale Detroit suburb showed the city was in the clear. Then residents got a notice seemingly out of the blue: Their water could be contaminated with elevated levels of lead.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-lead-testing-method-higher-levels/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan and Lester Graham, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/enbridge-line-5-wont-close/
By Sarah Sax, High Country News
This story originally appeared in High Country News and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
For two weeks, leaders and representatives from around the world have gathered in person and virtually in Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations’ 26th annual climate change summit, called the Conference of the Parties, or COP26.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/bringing-fight-dams-cop26/
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday proposed $300 million in water spending to help local utilities address elevated lead levels, plan for pipe replacement and connect users of contaminated wells to municipal supplies.
The governor said the funding would expand her $500 million MI Clean Water Plan, some of which has been authorized since it was unveiled more than a year ago.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-whitmer-300m-water-funding-communities/
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:
The state of Illinois’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to invest over $29 million in wastewater and drinking water projects for the first quarter of the 2022 fiscal year.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/drinking-water-news-roundup-algae-blooms-dnr/
By Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Tribes welcomed an infusion of money in the massive infrastructure bill to expand broadband coverage, fix roads and address water and sanitation needs, but they say real change will come only with sustained investment.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion deal earlier this week that includes about $11 billion in benefits for Indian Country, according to the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-tribes-infusion-money-infrastructure-bill/
By Jenessa Duncombe, 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.
An interview with the president of the International Ski Federation, Gian Franco Kasper, made its way around the Internet faster than locals flocking to the first chair on a powder day.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ski-industry-climate-activism/
By Josh Funk, Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators have proposed suspending a Trump administration rule that would have allowed railroads to haul liquefied natural gas while they take a closer look at the potential safety risks.
The rule, which was backed by both the natural gas and freight rail industries, had already been on hold because several environmental groups and 14 states filed lawsuits challenging it.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-regulators-suspend-trump-rule-railway-gas/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
A federal judge retained jurisdiction Tuesday in a dispute over a Canadian oil pipeline that runs through a section of the Great Lakes, rejecting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s contention that the case belongs in state court.
The clash over whether Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 should continue operating raises issues “under consideration at the highest levels of this country’s government” involving a U.S.-Canada treaty and federal pipeline safety regulation, U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-judge-michigan-oil-pipeline-case-in-federal-court/
Conservation action for Debra Shore started with the driveway at her suburban Chicago home.
It was asphalt, and she wanted to replace it with gravel to absorb the rain and keep pollutants out of the stormwater drains. But her town administration said no to the permit, though it eventually yielded.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/epa-great-lakes-administrator-benton-harbor-infrastructure-cleanup/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — State officials announced a pilot program Wednesday aimed at helping eligible residents of a Michigan city where there’s been a lead crisis pay water and wastewater bills.
The federally-funded program is designed to help households that have had water disconnected or are facing disconnection pay to have it restored.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-program-benton-harbor-residents-bills/
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Wednesday approved a $626 million deal to settle lawsuits filed by Flint residents who found their tap water contaminated by lead following disastrous decisions to switch the city’s water source and a failure to swiftly acknowledge the problem.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-judge-million-settlement-flint-water-litigation/
By Dustin Dwyer, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/mayor-benton-harbor-support-state-fix-water-system/
By Sarah Cwiek, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/white-house-line-5/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Gabrielle Ahlborn, Great Lakes Echo
Environmental groups say they hope that a new Environmental Protection Agency administrator for the Great Lakes region works to restore infrastructure while revitalizing an agency they say is depleted and demoralized.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/epa-regional-administrator-infrastructure/
This work was supported in part by the Solutions Journalism Network.
Under an ominous gray and blustery sky, forklifts dig into piles of jet-black furnace coke, dumping it into a ship tethered in the eastern channel of Burns Harbor in Northwest Indiana. Nearby are towering piles of red iron ore pellets, and just across the channel loom the smokestacks, conveyors and furnaces of a steel mill.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainable-shipping-burns-harbor-port-industrial-coast/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will soon start testing the water in 300 homes in a Michigan city where there’s been a lead crisis to check certified filters given area residents by the state to remove lead from the drinking water.
EPA officials will collect water samples in Benton Harbor, according to The Herald-Palladium.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-epa-testing-water-benton-harbor-homes/
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota pollution officials on Monday released a proposed impaired waters list for 2022, an update that included the addition of 15 northeastern and central Minnesota water bodies where fish have been contaminated with long-lasting chemicals.
The 15 were added due to contamination with a family of widely used chemicals known as PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals “due to their inability to break down.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-minnesota-pollution-officials-impaired-waters/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. and Canada will discuss the future of an oil pipeline that crosses part of the Great Lakes and is the subject of rising tension over whether it should be shut down, the White House said Monday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/white-ap-house-michigan-pipeline-canada/
By Kelly House and Jonathan Oosting, 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/benton-harbor-water-response-poor-messaging/
DETROIT (AP) — The state of Michigan said Friday it agreed pay $300,000 to settle wrongful discharge claims by the only employee who was fired as a result of lead-contaminated water in Flint.
The deal with Liane Shekter Smith, who was head of the state’s drinking water division, came weeks after an arbitrator said she was wrongly fired in 2016 by officials who were likely looking for a “public scapegoat” in one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-michigan-pay-300k-staffer-fired-flint/
