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‘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.

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Wisconsin Watch

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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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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

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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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Great Lakes Now

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

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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.

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

The Energy Mix

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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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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

Energy News Network

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

John Hartig

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/climate-change-threatens-michigan-chemical-sites/

Bridge Michigan

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/pfas-advisory-lake-superior-rainbow-smelt/

Bridge Michigan

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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.

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

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Great Lakes Echo

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Maya Sundaresan

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Sharon Oosthoek

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Energy News Network

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

The Revelator

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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.

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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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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Eos

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

The Associated Press

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Great Lakes Echo

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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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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Great Lakes Now

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Natasha Blakely

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

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

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Gary Wilson

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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Great Lakes Echo

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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. 

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Great Lakes Now

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

The Associated Press

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Indiana Environmental Reporter

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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

Natasha Blakely

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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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-new-york/

Natasha Blakely

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Lighthouse Restoration: A volunteer effort that requires labor, love and millions of dollars

This summer, a Great Lakes watchtower will celebrate its 200th birthday as any centenarian should: with cake and ice cream.

The Marblehead Lighthouse sits on Lake Erie’s temperamental shore in Ohio, about 20 miles away from Sandusky. It’s the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, thanks to the state of Ohio, which, according to the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, took over the maintenance in the 1990s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/lighthouse-restoration/

Rachel Duckett

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Flint water main breaks prompt water conservation request

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Water main breaks blamed on temperature fluctuations has prompted Flint officials to ask residents and businesses to temporarily cut back on water usage.

The water conservation request is through Wednesday, the city said Friday in a release.

Main breaks have impacted water storage supply in a reservoir and elevated water tower, according to the city.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-flint-water-main-breaks/

The Associated Press

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Michigan sues dam owner over sediment in Kalamazoo River

By David Eggert, Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan sued the owner and operator of a hydroelectric dam, alleging that its mismanaged drawdown of a lake to do repairs created sediment that has choked a 30-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, impeded recreational use and threatened public safety.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

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The Associated Press

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In: Asian carp, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, invasive carp, invasive species, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
With new invasive carp money, the Great Lakes learns from past invasions

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.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/invasive-carp-money-great-lakes/

Bridge Michigan

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In: AP, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, gas, gas drilling, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, News, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, pollution, Protect
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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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-judges-driller-pollution-case/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, Drinking Water, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, wastewater, water infrastructure, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Task force looking at water infrastructure in SE Michigan

DETROIT (AP) — A group of government, business and nonprofit organizations is looking at water infrastructure in southeastern Michigan.

The current condition and actions needed for sustainable water infrastructure systems is the focus of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Water Infrastructure Task Force.

The task force also will address flooding issues, project funding, equity, affordability and other topics.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-task-force-water-infrastructure-michigan/

The Associated Press

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, groundwater, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, water
Legislation to be introduced to restrict water withdrawals for bottled water and increase protections for groundwater

By 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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/legislation-bottled-water-protections-groundwater/

Michigan Radio

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In: AP, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Lead, flint, Flint Water Crisis, Lead, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Snyder will take 5th if called to testify in water trial

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who faces misdemeanor charges in the Flint water crisis, wants to avoid testifying in a civil trial involving engineering firms that are being sued over liability for lead-contaminated water.

Snyder’s attorneys said he would invoke his right to remain silent if called as a witness in the ongoing civil trial in federal court in Ann Arbor.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/snyder-take-5th-if-testify-water-trial/

The Associated Press

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In: bald eagle, birds, Detroit, detroit river, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, John Hartig, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Science, Technology, Research, Wildlife
Great Lakes Moment: Dozens of bald eagles overwinter in Detroit

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.

It was a mid-winter day, and I was driving to my Downriver home from a meeting in Detroit.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-moment-bald-eagles-detroit/

John Hartig

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In: benton harbor, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Feature Lead, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Benton Harbor residents should keep drinking bottled water, but EPA says filters work on lead

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.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/benton-harbor-residents-epa-filters/

Michigan Radio

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, enbridge, Enbridge Line 5 and Other Pipelines, gas, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, line 5, Michigan, News, Ohio, oil, Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Gas and oil industry report projects fuel price hikes if Enbridge Line 5 is shut down

By 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.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/gas-oil-industry-price-hikes-enbridge-line-5-shut-down/

Michigan Radio

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In: Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, forever chemicals, Forever Chemicals Featured, Latest News, Natasha Blakely, News, News Roundup PFAS, PFAS, Policy, Politics, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Wisconsin
PFAS News Roundup: Wisconsin board passes weakened state standards, stream trout contaminated

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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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/pfas-wisconsin-weakened-state-standards-trout-contaminated/

Natasha Blakely

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In: AP, biden administration, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Wisconsin
Biden, Cabinet fan out around nation to sell domestic agenda

By Darlene Superville, Fatima Hussein and Chris Megerian, Associated Press

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden, struggling to regain his political footing as the midterm elections approach, visited the crucial state of Wisconsin on Wednesday to promote one of his top accomplishments, a bipartisan infrastructure measure that will distribute billions of dollars to fix roads, bridges and other public works.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-biden-cabinet-domestic-agenda/

The Associated Press

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, flint, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Trial begins in lawsuit against engineering firms that advised Flint during water crisis

By Tracy Samilton, Michigan Radio

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

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/trial-lawsuit-engineering-flint-water-crisis/

Michigan Radio

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In: Budget, economy, Feature Homepage, Great Lakes Commission, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, New York, News, Ohio, Policy, Politics, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Sandra Svoboda
New national authority for Great Lakes region proposed by Ohio Congresswoman

Steadier federal funding instead of annual appropriations coming out of debates, direct investment for local communities to meet federal mandates, a dual focus on environmental clean up and economic development. 

Those would be three benefits of a Great Lakes Authority, according to Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) who spoke today during the Great Lakes Week session organized by the Great Lakes Commission.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-authority-proposed-ohio-congress-marcy-kaptur/

Sandra Svoboda

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In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Climate change, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, flooding, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
What Michigan can do as global report details ‘closing window’ on climate

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.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/michigan-global-report-climate/

Bridge Michigan