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New U.S. Climate Law Could Make Midwest Water Contamination Worse

By Keith Schneider, 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/new-u-s-climate-law-could-make-midwest-water-contamination-worse/

Circle of Blue

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Michigan Democrats aiming to erase business friendly environmental laws

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/2023/01/michigan-democrats-aiming-erase-business-friendly-environmental-laws/

Bridge Michigan

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Biden’s signature advances major projects in water bill

By Michael Phillis, Associated Press

President Joe Biden signed a large defense bill on Friday that includes a water bill that directs the Army Corps of Engineers on major infrastructure projects to improve navigation and protect against storms worsened by climate change.

The biggest project by far this year is a $34 billion Texas coastal barrier featuring massive floodgates and other structures to protect the Houston region with its concentration of oil refineries and chemical plants, at risk during major hurricanes.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ap-bidens-signature-advances-major-projects-water-bill/

The Associated Press

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Divided Congress: Smooth sailing or choppy waters for Great Lakes programs?

Since 2020 when Democrats swept into power by winning the presidency and taking control of both chambers of Congress, Great Lakes programs have had a tailwind of funding support from Washington.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided a $1 billion windfall for the region to accelerate clean up of the multiple toxic sites known as Areas of Concern that remain from the peak industrial period in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/smooth-sailing-or-choppy-waters-for-great-lakes-programs/

Gary Wilson

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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.

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Great Lakes Now

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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Why Line 5 will likely remain open despite Democratic control of Lansing

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/2022/11/why-line-5-likely-remain-open-despite-democratic-control-lansing/

Bridge Michigan

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Some Republicans, Democrats, environmentalists, hunters, anglers, and birders all want the same thing: more wetlands

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/2022/11/republicans-democrats-environmentalists-more-wetlands/

Michigan Radio

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A former GM plant in St. Catharines is leaking toxic chemicals

By Ashley Okwuosa, The Narwhal

Photography by Ramona Leitao

This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.

Susan Rosebrugh rose from sleep when she heard the sound of fire trucks, and turned to her partner in frustration.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/former-gm-plant-leaking-toxic-chemicals/

The Narwhal

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PFAS News Roundup: Petition says EPA loophole lets “forever chemicals” evade review

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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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/pfas-news-roundup-petition-says-epa-loophole-lets-forever-chemicals-evade-review/

Kathy Johnson

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Clean Water Act at 50: environmental gains, challenges unmet

By John Flesher, Associated Press

Lifelong Cleveland resident Steve Gove recalls when the Cuyahoga River symbolized shame — fetid, lifeless, notorious for catching fire when sparks from overhead rail cars ignited the oil-slicked surface.

“It was pretty grungy,” said the 73-year-old, a canoeist in his youth who sometimes braved the filthy stretch through the steelmaking city.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/ap-clean-water-act-at-50/

The Associated Press

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The Catch: Coal ash regulation

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

This month, The Catch features stories from “Poisonous Ponds: Tackling Toxic Coal Ash,” a collaborative project featuring the reporting work of students at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications on Great Lakes Now and Energy News Network programs and websites.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/the-catch-coal-ash-regulation/

GLN Editor

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Can shipping on the Great Lakes take the next step toward transporting high-value container cargo?

A common question for casual observers of Great Lakes vessels is “Where are the big container ships?” The reference is to the massive ocean-traversing ships with containers stacked stories high.

The container ships have been absent from the Great Lakes where cherished lake freighters dominate the waterways hauling bulk cargo.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/shipping-update-great-lakes-container-cargo/

Gary Wilson

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Indiana might be changing its tone toward wind energy

By Kyla Russell, National Newspaper Association Foundation News Fellows Program

Great Lakes Now is publishing this story in conjunction with the National Newspaper Association Foundation’s News Fellows Program. In March, during NNA’s Community Newspaper Leadership Summit, a group of student journalists met with experts and policy leaders in Washington D.C.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/indiana-changing-tone-toward-wind-energy/

Kyla Russell

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In: Agriculture, emissions, Farming, Feature Homepage, fertilizer, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
Soaring Fertilizer Prices Could Deliver ‘Silver Lining’ For Emissions, But Farmers Struggle to Limit Use

By Christopher Bonasia, 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 sudden rise in fertilizer prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have implications for global emissions by reducing how much of it farmers use in their fields.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/soaring-fertilizer-prices-emissions-farmers/

The Energy Mix

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Feds issue draft assessment that could doom Minnesota mine

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service issued a draft environmental assessment Thursday to lay the foundation for a proposed 20-year moratorium on copper-nickel mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Formally, the proposal would “withdraw” from new mineral leasing for 20 years about 352 square miles within the Rainy River watershed in the Superior National Forest around the town of Ely.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-feds-draft-assessment-minnesota-mine/

The Associated Press

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Study suggests phosphorous reduction alone could lead to more toxic algae

A new study completed by international researchers says current efforts to reduce harmful algae blooms by limiting phosphorous in Lake Erie could result in more toxic algae.

“I think it has implications for how we think about cleaning up Lake Erie,” said Greg Dick, director of the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research at Michigan State University, and one of the study’s authors.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/phosphorous-reduction-toxic-algae/

James Proffitt

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Does extreme weather threaten the hazardous waste sites that border Lake Michigan?

Climate change-fueled weather such as extreme storms will provide a direct threat to contaminated waste storage sites, nuclear power plants and industrial facilities at multiple sites on the shores of Lake Michigan, according to a new report.

The 63-mile corridor from Gary, Indiana, through Illinois to the Wisconsin border is particularly at risk.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/extreme-weather-hazardous-waste-sites/

Gary Wilson

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MI environmental group calls EPA’s PFAS advisory a “wake-up call” for industries

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/environmental-group-pfas-advisory/

Michigan Radio

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FRESH: Research Highlights Gaps in Federal Air Pollution Data

June 14, 2022

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/fresh-research-highlights-gaps-in-federal-air-pollution-data/

Circle of Blue

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s plan needs to move from aspiration to action, says Detroit climate advocate

In February 2021, Detroit’s Michelle Martinez was excited like she hadn’t been in years about the potential of progress on core environmental and climate justice issues.

President Donald Trump, who took the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accords and was rolling back Obama-era environmental protections, was out of office.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/michigan-gov-plan-action/

Gary Wilson

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In: AP, government, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Republicans allow PFAS standards to take effect

By Todd Richmond, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans will allow regulations Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration developed to control pollution from a group of chemicals known as PFAS to take effect, a spokesman for the lawmaker who controls the Legislature’s rules committee said Monday.

The Legislature’s Republican-controlled Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Reviews has no objections to the regulations and will allow the Department of Natural Resources to implement them, said Mike Mikalsen, an aide to the committee’s co-chairman, Sen.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-wisconsin-republicans-pfas-standards/

The Associated Press

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EXCLUSIVE: Ontario Regulator Refuses New Pipeline, Tells Enbridge to Plan for Lower Gas Demand

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 Ontario Energy Board sent minor shock waves through the province’s energy regulatory and municipal energy communities earlier this month with its refusal to approve the final phases of a $123.7-million pipeline replacement project in Ottawa proposed by Enbridge Gas.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ontario-regulator-refuses-pipeline-enbridge-gas/

The Energy Mix

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COVID hits Buttigieg, others who attended Michigan event

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — At least 15 people who attended a public affairs conference last week on Michigan’s Mackinac Island have tested positive for COVID-19, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The gathering is put on each year by a business group, the Detroit Regional Chamber, and attracts more than 1,000 public officials, journalists and others who discuss a variety of political and policy issues.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-covid-michigan-event/

The Associated Press

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Citizens Energy launches lead service line replacement program

By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter

Citizens Energy Group announced it would begin a multi-year program to replace thousands of lead service lines owned by its customers.

The company said it received an order from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission granting it permission to launch a five-year, $22.7 million effort to replace customer-owned lead service lines at about 2,500 homes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/citizens-energy-lead-service-line-program/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

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The Catch: Current issues in Canadian water infrastructure

This month of The Catch features stories from our partners in the Great Lakes News Collaborative. The collaborative’s investigation of the cost of water in the Great Lakes region was the focus of the latest episode.

Toronto-based journalist Andrew Reeves discusses a piece he wrote for Great Lakes Now about the history and current issues in Canadian water infrastructure.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/the-catch-canadian-water-infrastructure/

GLN Editor

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EPA: Two toxic hot spots in Michigan will take longer to clean up than many others in Great Lakes states

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/toxic-hot-spots-michigan-great-lakes-states/

Michigan Radio

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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.

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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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Soo Locks project no longer fully funded

After a big announcement in January celebrating $479 million directed to fully fund the construction of a new lock, the Army Corps of Engineers has had to walk it back, according to a report by The Detroit News.

The billion-dollar project, authorized by Congress at $922 million in 2018, is now estimated to be “somewhere between two times and three times” the cost, Sen.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/soo-locks-project-no-longer-fully-funded/

Natasha Blakely

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Mapping the Great Lakes: Power up

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

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/mapping-the-great-lakes-power-up/

Alex Hill

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Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as “old”

By Matthew Brown and Matthew Daly, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s order to protect the nation’s oldest forests against climate change, wildfires and other problems devastating vast woodlands is raising a simple yet vexing question: When does a forest grow old?

Millions of acres are potentially on the line — federal land that could eventually get new protections or remain open to logging as the administration decides which trees to count under Biden’s order covering “old growth” and “mature” forests.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-biden-forest-plan-dispute/

The Associated Press

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Dam Accounting: Taking Stock of Methane Emissions From Reservoirs

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.

This month regulators greenlighted a transmission line that would bring power generated from Canadian hydroelectric dams to New York City.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/stock-methane-emissions-reservoirs/

The Revelator

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Canada ranks dead last among G7 on climate progress: Earth Index

By Shawn McCarthy, Corporate Knights

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

Canada must make up for lost ground if it’s going to meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/canada-ranks-last-climate-progress/

Corporate Knights

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Ontario faces uneven investment in water infrastructure

This is part two in a two-part series looking at the cost of water in Ontario. Read part one here, and find the Great Lakes News Collaborative’s series on cost of water in Michigan here.

Just how big an underinvestment Ontario is facing when it comes to the state of its drinking and wastewater infrastructure is difficult to tabulate.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ontario-uneven-investment-water-infrastructure/

Andrew Reeves

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Even in Canada, where water prices are low, aging infrastructure and rising costs are a problem

This is part one in a two-part series looking at the cost of water in Ontario. Find the Great Lakes News Collaborative’s series on cost of water in Michigan here.

Canadians living in the Great Lakes basin have perhaps become spoiled at the seemingly endless availability of water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/canada-aging-infrastructure-rising-costs/

Andrew Reeves

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In: Algae Blooms, clean water, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, flint, Gary Wilson, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, Michigan, New York, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, The States, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, water infrastructure, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Wisconsin
Water executive tells cities to “get creative” when it comes to replacing lead service lines

Lynn Broaddus has little patience for cities who focus on the reasons why they can’t replace lead service lines.

She understands that finances are a big part of the problem but says too often cities focus on the barriers, instead of what’s possible.

Broaddus is the recent past-president and now a trustee with the international group Water Environment Federation, a non-profit focused on increasing the awareness of the impact and value of water.

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Michigan’s ‘Very Big Opportunity’ in Infrastructure Windfall

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

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Some Michigan water systems are overbuilt, underfunded. Are mergers the answer?

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

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The report on Ontario’s natural resources the government didn’t want you to read

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.

From warming water to shifting growing seasons, Ontario is already seeing the effects of climate change. But for the most part, Doug Ford and his government say, the province’s natural resources are doing just fine.

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Storms strain Ohio’s electric grid, and climate change could make it worse

By Kathiann M. Kowalski, Energy News Network

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

Major weather events accounted for more than a third of the time Ohio customers of regulated electric utilities went without power last year, according to an Energy News Network review of data filed with state regulators.

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New Ohio law eases state regulation of some streams

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall will be restricted under legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

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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Years of regulation may have reduced invasive species risks in the Great Lakes, study says

The issue of invasive species has haunted the Great Lakes region for decades, but a recent study shows that regulatory intervention can actually help stem the problem.

The study, released by McGill University and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, looked at the bi-national regulation of ballast water.

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Mapping the Great Lakes: Where to find your sugar maples

The Great Lakes region may be best known for its freshwater resources, but another resource it has in abundance is its maple syrup. Canada is the world’s leading producer of maple syrup, generating 75% of the global supply. Within Canada, the province of Quebec is the top producer (96.4%) of maple syrup products followed by Ontario.

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Canada lynx protections deal sealed by US, environmentalists

By Matthew Brown, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials have agreed to craft a new habitat plan for the snow-loving Canada lynx that could include more land in Colorado and other western states where the rare animals would be protected, according to a legal agreement made public Tuesday.

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What’s missing from Doug Ford’s proposed expansion of the Ontario Greenbelt

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.

When the Doug Ford government first announced plans to expand Ontario’s Greenbelt, it called the move a “once in a generation opportunity.”

The initial concept, presented by Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark in February 2021, involved ambitious plans to include waterways under the Greenbelt’s protection and stretch its boundaries to encompass a large swath of land west of Toronto.

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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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Northern Indiana residents doubt outcome of coal ash cleanup

By Beth Edwards, Indiana Environmental Reporter

Some northern Indiana residents remain skeptical that communities in the area will be free of contamination from toxic coal ash, despite a renewed commitment by government agencies and one of the state’s biggest energy companies to clean up polluted sites and transition to renewable energy sources.

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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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Gov. Whitmer wants federal aid to keep nuclear plant open

By Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press

Michigan’s Democratic governor wants a nuclear power plant on Lake Michigan to stay open and she’s asking the federal government to pay for it.

But the owner of the Palisades Power Plant says it’s too late — the plant will be shut down in May as scheduled.

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Energy shift creates opening for ‘world’s largest batteries’

By John Flesher, Associated Press

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households.

It’s part of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, which uses simple technology: Water is piped from a lower reservoir — the lake, in this case — to an upper one, then released downhill through supersized turbines.

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Group: Feds hid plans to weaken whooping crane protection

The Biden administration made secret plans to weaken protection for whooping cranes, and documents obtained through an open records request show officials “seem to have been deliberately misleading the public,” an environmental group says.

The documents show that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to propose changing the only natural flock’s status from endangered to threatened, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release linking to some of the papers.

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