One year after the proposed Icebreaker Wind demonstration project in Lake Erie got shelved, there continues to be talk — but little movement — toward erecting commercial-scale offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-offshore-wind
An Enbridge Energy pipeline in Jefferson County, Wisconsin spilled nearly 70,000 gallons of crude oil underground on November 11th according to federal officials. The spill is Enbridge’s worst in Wisconsin, surpassing a 2012 incident that spilled 50,000 gallons in Adams County. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-pipeline-leak
Joel Brammeier, CEO of Alliance for the Great Lakes, has two words for those feeling anxiety about what’s in store for the Great Lakes during the incoming Trump administration: Don’t panic. Despite expected rollbacks on key environmental initiatives, the Great Lakes region has been here before. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-new-administration-advice
A proposed Michigan copper mine on the shores of Lake Superior is sparking fierce debate over environmental and economic priorities, as the state’s House Appropriations Committee approved $50 million in taxpayer subsidies for the controversial project. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-copper-mine
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Michigan is designed to keep invasive carps out of the Great Lakes. It’s a half mile long underwater obstacle course containing a bubble curtain, noise emitting speakers, electrified water and a navigation lock designed to flush fish downstream. Read the full story by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-carp-barrier
Michigan Democrats are considering legislation to increase fees for hunting, fishing and boating by 30% or more to raise funding for the state Department of Natural Resources whose fish and wildlife programs have endured budget cuts amid funding shortages. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-fee-increase
Have you ever wondered where the fish you eat comes from? Only a fraction of the fish consumed today in the Badger State is caught locally. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-commercial-fishing
Getting rid of the legacy coal ash deposits from the NRG Generating State power plant along Lake Michigan in Waukegan got a little more likely with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision keeping the green light illuminated for enforcement of a federal regulation mandating such a cleanup. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-coal-ash-ruling
Lake Michigan surface temperatures peaked at over 6 degrees above normal last month, the warmest they have been in November since 1995 when record keeping began at the National Oceanic and Atmospherec Administration. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-lake-warming
A northern Wisconsin tribe along with a coalition of groups moved Dec. 12 to block plans to reroute an aging pipeline around the tribe’s reservation, arguing state regulators have underestimated the environmental damage that construction would cause. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-line5-reroute
A bipartisan duo is pushing the House to pass a Great Lakes conservation bill that has already cleared the Senate. The bill would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a program that spans the lakes and is set to expire in fiscal 2026. Read the full story by Politico.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-glri
Researchers, companies and farmers are developing and deploying systems that can control agricultural runoff, benefiting landowners, water consumers and the environment alike. These controlled drainage structures have resulted in a 20 to 50% reduction in nitrate loads coming out of drainage outlets. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-drainage
Earlier this year the Michigan Strategic Fund approved a $50 million grant for a controversial copper mine in the Upper Peninsula. Now, the state House Appropriations Committee has given its support, too. A major point of concern is the potential for mine waste to escape into Lake Superior, less than two miles away from the mine site. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-up-copper-mine
The St. Clair River is a 40-mile watery conduit that connects Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair. It is a vital part of the Great Lakes and provides not only transportation for commerce, but habitat for wildlife, a recreational shoreline for human use, a supply of drinking water, and a place to boat and fish. One of the people trying to protect the river is the executive director of the Friends of the St. Clair River. Read the full story by Second Wave Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-st.clair-river
Cleaner water could have negative impacts on certain types of fish in Lake Erie, a study by researchers at Ohio State and other universities found. This is due to reduced nutrients impacting food creation for species like yellow perch. Read the full story by WOSU – Columbus, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-lake-erie-fish
The landmark Lake Erie case in federal court could be expanded again. The latest parties trying to become part of it are Lake Erie Waterkeeper and two national environmental groups, the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, and the Washington-based Food & Water Watch. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-lake-erie-case
The mayor of the Detroit suburb of Troy is the new chair of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, an agency responsible for fishery management, leading a science program, and controlling invasive sea lamprey. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-glfc
Crews have started work on a new attempt to refloat a cargo ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ontario, nearly three weeks ago. The U.S. Coast Guard says the operation to remove cargo from the vessel could take several days. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-stuck-cargo-ship
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced plans to no longer stock splake in Lake Superior. The fish is popular among anglers, and the move received considerable attention during their Lake Superior Fisheries Management meeting. Read the full story by Northern News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-splake-stocking
By delivering 1,200 Christmas trees from Northern Michigan to Chicago families, the crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw was carrying on the tradition of the Rouse Simmons. The worn-out schooner helmed by a man nicknamed “Captain Santa” and heavily weighed down by a load of Christmas trees bound for Chicago sank while running that route in 1912. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-christmas-ship
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is investigating contamination near BASF’s Wyandotte site, not far from the city’s water intake facility. The site has a history of pollution stretching back decades, with hazardous chemicals like mercury, PFAS, and DDT reportedly seeping into the surrounding environment. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-groundwater-contamination-prevention
Canada-based McKeil Marine converted one of its ships to water-lubricated propeller shaft and grease-free rudder bearings to ensure the vessel does not discharge oil or grease into the Great Lakes. Following this conversion, many other Great Lakes operating vessels converted to Thordon Bearings, helping to raise the profile of the Burlington, Ontario-headquartered company across the global shipping industry. Read the full story by the Burlington Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-shipping-conversion
A Huron Pines community educator recently appealed to the city council of East Tawas, Michigan, to consider the Lake Huron Forever Pledge to prioritize water quality protection and preservation with a long-term view of sustainability of Lake Huron for future generations. So far, three Michigan communities have taken the Pledge – Bay City, Au Gres, and Alpena. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-protection-pledge
Since the start of the shipping season, total cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway came to more than 32 million metric tons. The totals are proportional to last year’s numbers, showing consistency in the waterway system. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-cargo-tonnage
Over the summer, Force Blue, a nonprofit organization made up of veterans transitioning to civilian life, worked with the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to install and remove mooring buoys at eight different shipwrecks in Lake Huron. They also assisted with the fresh water acidification project to study how the water is changing in Lake Huron which could affect fish feeding behaviors and reproductive abilities. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-nonprofit-research
Audubon Great Lakes, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and several local partners began planning to restore coastal wetland in Allouez Bay in Superior, Wisconsin, three years ago. This week, the first phase of construction was completed as part of the Marsh Bird Restoration Project which aims to transform dense stands of invasive cattails into a more diverse and dynamic marsh environment for marsh birds, waterfowl, fish and people. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-restoration-project
A new book, The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History, explores how the Lake Ontario ecosystem has shifted over the years, and how anthropogenic climate change is shattering its defenses. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-lake-ontario-book
The Soo Locks Children’s Museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is intended to be an educational resource to help kids get acquainted with one of the most significant pieces of infrastructure in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the science behind how the locks work. Museum officials said they hope to open to the public sometime in 2025. Read the full story by The Sault Ste. Marie Evening News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-soo-museum
Under a portion of the state’s environmental protection laws, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has been banned from updating rules to deal with certain kinds of water pollution. Bills to restore the agency’s authority are before the lame duck session of the legislature. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-michigan-environmental-laws
It’s a fish story with a big, unexpected plot twist. A native Great Lakes whitefish thought extinct for nearly 40 years has been rediscovered by scientists in Lake Superior. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-cisco-found
This is the last November anglers casting from some popular fishing spots along Lake Michigan can catch whitefish using a wide range of tackle. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-whitefish-limits
Michigan has debated for decades but never passed a uniform statewide septic code and remains the only state without one. Whether the latest push can get over the finish line seems unlikely after a state Senate panel adjourned without voting on legislation this week. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-michigan-septic-legislation
The clock is ticking in a legal battle over a Minnesota mining project that some warn could inflict catastrophic damage on Lake Superior and nearby communities. Environmental advocates argue that the risks posed by the project’s tailings dams could have dire consequences for the Great Lakes ecosystem and residents living downhill. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-minnesota-tailings-dam
Last Friday, a large part of the Detroit River’s waterbed was exposed as strong winds pushed the water to the northeastern banks of the Great Lakes in a seiche event. The Windsor Harbor Master said mariners have to take extra caution navigating the river due to the lower water level and strong winds. Read the full story by the CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-detroit-river-seiche
Water bottler BlueTriton announced it will cease operations in Puslinch, Ontario, in January 2025. Activists said their exit could be due to issues with the well from where water is drawn, and the company was getting pressure to exit from the Indigenous Six Nations who claim the land. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-ontario-bottled-water
Michigan looks to get $700 million to clean up contaminated sediment in the Detroit River, but according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, decades of unchecked pollution from BASF’s Wyandotte facility could stand in the way. Read the full story by Planet Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-detroit-river-pollution
The U.S. Senate has approved the reauthorization through 2031 of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Now the measure moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-glri-house-vote
The historic tugboat Robinson Bay was officially handed off to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan, in a ceremony last month. The Robinson Bay will allow maritime cadets to learn towing, ship handling, and engineering processes onboard the historic vessel, built in 1958. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-maritime-academy-tugboat
Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow delivered her farewell speech to the U.S. Senate Wednesday before the end of her last term, capping off a career spanning nearly 50 years. Stabenow highlighted her accomplishments that were made in that time, including preserving the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-stabenow-farewell
According to a recent report, pollution from coal-based steel production causes hundreds of premature deaths each year, with people in the Great Lakes region bearing much of the burden. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-steel-pollution
A new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists argues that farmers can play a key role in protecting and restoring wetlands in the Upper Midwest. A key solution lies in the farm bill, specifically in strengthening policies that encourage farmers to take part in conservation, restoration, and sustainability efforts. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-farmer-wetland-protection
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $15.5 million contract to Miami Marine Services to prepare the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River in Joliet, Illinois, for the installation of defenses to keep invasive carp from getting into the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-invasive-carp-prevention
Once-rare lake trout in Lake Superior are doing so well that Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists will use the fish to stock the species in lakes around the state. Read the full story by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-trout-stocking
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is among seven communities along Lake Michigan to receive portions of nearly $3 million in funding to develop plans for strengthening shorelines against flooding, erosion, loss of natural landscapes and climate change impacts. Read the full story by the Sheboygan Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-resilience-funding
For 25 years, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw has been buoying spirits by making a voyage from northern Michigan to Chicago, hauling a load of Christmas cheer. On Saturday morning at Chicago’s Navy Pier, 1,200 Christmas trees will be ceremonially unloaded, placed on trucks, and ultimately delivered to Chicago families in need. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-christmas-ship
Grounded for over a week, the Algoma Central ship – Tim S. Dool – remained lodged on a shoal near Crysler Marina, east of Morrisburg, Ontario, on Thursday. Recovery efforts have so far failed to budge the ship. Read the full story by the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-ship-grounded
The University of Wisconsin-Superior is getting a new 65-foot lakegoing vessel, the Sadie Ann, described as a floating classroom. The ship was designed as a scientific research vessel and a teaching environment. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-education-vessel
Alexander Cook holiday cards have been a big seller at the National Museum of the Great Lakes shop in Toledo, Ohio, for more than 50 years. After Cook’s death at the age of 99 in January, museum staff found a painting he’d done in 1985; it will be used as this year’s card to honor Cook’s decades of devotion to helping preserve the lakes he loved. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241206-art-legacy
According to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, wetlands save Wisconsin and the upper Midwest almost $23 billion per year that would otherwise be spent combating flooding. This finding comes as the loss of wetlands has accelerated, and critical protections have eased. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241204-wetland-value
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been surveying boat anglers, revealing that anglers on Lake Erie have had one of the best years in recent memory for catching walleyes. Fishing has improved due to the amount of forage fish that walleye have been eating and the nice summer weather that allowed more days for fishing. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241204-walleye-fishing
