After repeated air pollution violations at its northwest Indiana refinery along Lake Michigan, BP must pay $512,450 in penalties to resolve a lawsuit filed by environmental organizations. Read the full story by the Indy Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-refinery
A time-critical removal action at the former fire training area of the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeast Michigan entailed 24,780 tons of PFAS-impacted soil being hauled away from the site. Read the full story by Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-pfas
A group pushing hard to clean up Lake Erie will now be dropping out of a federal lawsuit as they don’t think the lawsuit is the answer to cure the lake’s algae issues. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-erie-lawsuit
Stranded between its last and next Coast Guard cutters, Duluth-Superior Twin Ports will be reliant on a temporary plan for breaking ice in 2021-22 since their cutter departed for a year of maintenance in July. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-icebreaker
Ontario Auditor-General Bonnie Lysyk says the province owes the public more details — and sooner — about pollution spills like the 24-billion-litre leak of sewage into Hamilton’s Chedoke Creek which empties into Cootes Paradise on Lake Ontario. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-pollution-spill
Erie City Council in northern Pennsylvania, voted no on a plan to use tax payer dollars to pay for storm water management. Read and view the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, Pennsylvania.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-storm-water
The Lake Erie walleye fishing community is raising money for kids in treatment for cancer at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Read and view the full story by WKYC-TV – North Ridgeville, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-anglers-help-kids
Work has wrapped up on the restoration of the North Sandy Pond barrier bar, a $600,000 project awarded to the town of Sandy Creek in Oswego County. Read the full story by The Central New York Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-barrier
Great Lakes temperatures have been higher than the long-term average since the summer, and in some cases, even longer. Long-term high lake temperatures may have negative repercussions which ultimately harm fish and wildlife and in turn disrupt Michigan’s fishing economy. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-temperature
Beyond telling us about the region’s history, the presence of coral fossils in the Great Lakes also enables us to obtain several of our natural resources today, such as salts, oils, and natural gas. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-fossils
A seawall near a dock site in Detroit, Michigan, that collapsed two years ago gave way Friday, spilling an unknown amount of soil into the Detroit River, according to state environmental officials. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-seawall-collapse
Michigan Governor 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. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-oil-pipeline
A towering sand dune at the Indiana Dunes National Park in Porter, Indiana, has kept up its inland creep, covering up an access road and threatening to bury a parking lot in the coming years. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-dune
In Michigan, the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance plans to provide updates on its three-pronged legal strategy to stop the proposed NorthShore of Saugatuck boat canal. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-boat-canal
Officials are seeking input from local boaters on changing water levels on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board has issued surveys for recreational boaters regarding fall water levels and end-of-season boat hauls. Read the full story by WWI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-st.-lawrence-river
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the completion of the restoration of the North Sandy Pond barrier bar, a $600,000 project awarded to the town of Sandy Creek as part of the state’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-flood-resiliency
On Dec. 7, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear an appeal from two Bratenahl residents against the Ohio Power Siting Board that argue a state board should not have granted a certificate that will allow construction of the Icebreaker wind project on Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-wind
The Rouse Simmons sank on November 23, 1912, off the coast of Lake Michigan and is one of the 39 known ships in the proposed Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum will host its annual Christmas Tree Ship Day this Saturday. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-ship
Above average surface temperatures in the Great Lakes are expected to produce a domino effect, leading to a shift in amount and seasonality for lake effect snow, arrival of ice, and more. Read and hear the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-climate
A 17-month project to restore the natural habitat at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve in Muskegon, Michigan is on track to be completed by the end of November. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-muskegon-lake
While some may use the term gale loosely to describe strong wind gusts, it actually has a specific meteorological definition from the National Weather Service. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-wind-gales
The Cleveland Metroparks has been awarded a $985,000 grant to help design 79 acres of park area along the Lake Erie shoreline in Cleveland, Ohio. Read the full story by The Plains Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-cleveland-restoration
House Bill 5291 would establish a Port Facility Improvement Grant program for the expansion and creation of public and private ports within the state of Michigan. Read the full story by The Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-maritime
Bipartisan Michigan lawmakers are pressing President Joe Biden to talk to the Canadian government about stopping the proposal for a permanent repository for radioactive waste near Lake Huron. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-huron-waste
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that nearly $14 million has been awarded to protect clean water across the state, including a number of projects in the Finger Lakes region. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-water-projects
Transport Canada confirmed it will begin “restricting access” to the popular Burlington, Ontario shipping canal piers to pedestrians in December head of winter conditions, but added future recreational use is still up for negotiation. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-public-access
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board is looking for input from recreational boaters. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-boater-survey
Firefighters and environmental advocates are teaming up to push for the discontinuation of PFAS-containing foam. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-pfas
Six non-profits in the Northwest Indiana area have received grants from the Chi-Cal Rivers Fund to improve the health and accessibility of waterways in the Chicago and Calumet areas. Read the full story by The Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-indiana
New York State has released cleanup plans for the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. Construction to advance the cleanup plan is expected to begin in 2022, the state said it will address site-wide contamination and provide public access to Lake Erie for the first time in more than 100 years. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-bethlehem
The Cleveland area has once again has been featured in the national (game show) spotlight. The Great Lakes Science Center was part of a question on Jeopardy! Tuesday. Read the full story by WEWS-TV- Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-jeopardy
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is informing the public about the dredging it does at nine harbors along Ohio’s north coast by publishing aa newsletter that includes a map that identifies the location of each harbor in Lake Erie, the timing of the dredging sessions, and their contribution to the economy. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-dredging
If you visited the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee in the 1970s and ’80s, chances are you saw it: a wedge of concrete about 3,000 feet off Bradford Beach, with the word “LOVE” painted on its side in big capital letters. How the “LOVE” got there was a mystery for decades. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-love-rock
Erie Hack, the months-long water-innovation competition from the Great Lakes region hosted by Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA), has culminated with the naming of two winning teams and over $60,000 awarded November 18. Read the full story by WaterWorld.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-eriehack
The Allegan County Health Department has lifted its cyanobacteria advisory on Swan Lake. A November 18 test conducted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy determined that the lake’s microcystin levels were below detection levels. Read the full story by WXMI-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-cyano
While many local residents might be particularly interested in the Great Lakes program,the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act also has money to restore the environment in other areas of the U.S., plant many new trees and deal with global warming by capturing carbon from the atmosphere. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-bill
A judge has ordered an Upper Peninsula man to pay a $150,000 civil fine and restore wetlands on an island in the St. Marys River that regulators say were developed without a permit. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-wetlands
Scientists have discovered a Lake Superior refuge for a declining weasel-like carnivore. The American marten was rediscovered on Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands in 2014, several decades after it had disappeared. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-species
There are mystery holes that are one of the only pieces of physical evidence that indicates what almost became a reality. In the age of canal building during the industrial revolution, the proposed Georgian Bay Ship Canal megaproject connecting the St. Lawrence River to the Georgian Bay was being exhaustively evaluated. Read the full story by Collingwood Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-shipping
Installing filters on washing machines could be a simple and effective way to catch the microscopic particles our clothes shed, according to a study released this week by the University of Toronto and nonprofit Georgian Bay Forever. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-microfiber-pollution
Central Michigan University researchers have discovered unexpected populations of native mussels in the Detroit River, an area that hasn’t been searched for the mollusks since 1998. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-native-mussels
In late 2011, the Minnesota Department of Health released a study about levels of mercury in the blood of infants born in the Lake Superior watershed. The study showed that 10% of the infants in the Minnesota portion of the watershed had mercury levels that exceeded health limits. Read the full story by Duluth News-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-mercury-minnesota
A $17.8 million federal grant will help complete the final 17 segments of a 60-mile continuous trail that connects Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The US Department of Transportation awarded the Marquette Greenway project a 2021 RAISE grant, which will be managed by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. Read the full story by Northwest Indiana Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-trail
A wetland monitoring team from Heidelberg University is playing an integral role in Ohio’s H2Ohio initiative to improve water quality in the state and reduce nutrients and pollutants going into Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Advertiser-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-h2o-ohio
The marmorkreb, a.k.a. marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), is a destructive new species that first appeared in aquariums in Germany. Preventing the release of this species is tied to public outreach and public reporting. Read the full story by Press-Republican.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-invasive-crayfish
Along Chicago’s beaches recent storm waves stirred up shell deposits from invasive zebra and quagga mussels on the lake bottom and brought them ashore. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-invasive-mussels
A U.S. Navy warship won’t be dropping anchor in Erie anytime soon. While efforts are ongoing to bring a decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate to Presque Isle Bay and turn it into a floating naval museum, a steep fundraising goal and an arduous Navy approval process could slow the project for years. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-ship-museum
A cormorant colony in eastern Ontario is dwindling, and a retired biologist who monitors the birds says Ontario’s cormorant hunt has left the colony on the brink of survival. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-ontario-birds
Four members of Congress believe that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should continue to play a role in protecting fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes region and have introduced bipartisan legislation in support of this idea. Read the full story by Dearborn Press and Guide.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-bill
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general urging the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee to take action on federal health and environmental protections to address per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-pfas
