By Matthew Daly, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is taking its first major action to address toxic wastewater from coal-burning power plants, ordering utilities to stop dumping waste into unlined storage ponds and speed up plans to close leaking or otherwise dangerous coal ash sites.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-epa-dangerous-coal-ash/
ESCANABA, Mich. (AP) — A paper mill in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has agreed to pay nearly $250,000 to settle an investigation of a fish kill in the Escanaba River, state regulators said.
A “catastrophic pipe failure” at the Verso Corp. site in Escanaba resulted in a discharge of partially treated wastewater in August 2020, regulators said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-ohio-company-pay-250k/
The Erie County Ag Research Corporation facility started as a small building in northeast Pennsylvania near the Lake Erie shore in 1948. Pennsylvania State University bought it just four years later.
Now, Penn State’s grape research center boasts 43 acres and has a joint program with Cornell University’s Grape Research Lab in New York.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/great-lakes-vineyards-changing/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/road-salt-michigan-lakes/
By Michael Allen, Hakai Magazine
This story originally appeared in Hakai Magazine and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
As the climate warms, the price of adapting homes and infrastructure to cope with increasing temperatures, heavier rainfalls, stronger storms, and rising seas will be staggering.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/adapting-climate-change-expensive/
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — State regulators who three years ago issued an air quality permit for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northwestern Minnesota stood by their decision in a report released Monday that said the mine did not provide misleading information on its plans.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report is a blow to several environmental groups and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, although it does not clear the way for construction.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-minnesota-regulators-mine/
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will review a ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals that provided environmental protections for Renville County’s last free-flowing stream.
The October appeals court decision called for an environmental review to determine whether a proposed drainage ditch improvement could harm the stream in the heavily agricultural western county.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-minnesota-supreme-court-drainage-projects/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hannah Brock, Great Lakes Echo
Researchers are studying a long-vanished village near southern Lake Michigan that a World War II arsenal helped preserve.
A recent study by archaeologists sought to learn about those who lived at what is now the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/wwii-armory-preserves-indigenous/
By Kari Lydersen
This story was republished with permission from Energy News Network.
Coal ash will remain in the ground at the site of a closing coal plant on the shores of Lake Michigan in Waukegan, Illinois.
Owner NRG explained its plans on Dec.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/historic-coal-ash-concerns/
Earlier this month, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared December 2021 as “Christmas Tree Month” in Michigan.
It’s a move that makes sense — the Christmas tree industry provides jobs and bolsters the national and state economy.
“Michigan’s integrated network of family farmers, processors, wholesalers and retailers, work together to ensure a quality product that is enjoyed by millions throughout our state and country,” Whitmer said in a statement.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/christmas-tree-environmentally-friendly/
By Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press
Nearly 50 toxic waste sites around the U.S. will be cleaned up, and ongoing work at dozens of others will get a funding boost, as federal environmental officials announced Friday a $1 billion infusion to the Superfund program.
The money comes from the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last month and will help officials tackle a backlog of highly polluted Superfund sites in 24 states that have languished for years because of a lack of funding, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-epa-toxic-waste-sites/
By Scott Bauer, Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state appeals court on Thursday refused to reinstate a permit for a proposed $75 million frac sand operation in western Wisconsin, a victory for environmentalists who have been fighting for years to protect the 16 acres (6.5 hectares) of pristine wetlands.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-court-frac-sand-plant/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A new federal regulation requires higher safety standards for pipelines carrying oil and other hazardous liquids through the Great Lakes region, marine coastal waters and beaches, officials said Thursday.
The rule issued by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration designates those locations as “high consequence” zones where pipeline operators must step up inspections, repairs and other measures to avoid spills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-safety-standards-pipelines/
Denia Djokić first got interested in nuclear engineering because of climate change. That was nearly two decades ago when she was a college student at UC Berkeley and learned how energy issues were central to create a more sustainable planet.
“When we’re 21, we want to go out and save the world,” she said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/nuclear-waste-great-lakes-region/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge Energy moved Wednesday to shift to federal court a Michigan lawsuit seeking shutdown of an oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes.
The Canadian company argued that a 2019 lawsuit filed in a state court by Attorney General Dana Nessel should be heard by U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-enbridge-federal-jurisdiction/
Great Lakes communities on both sides of the border have diversion and reclamation programs for plastics, hoping to keep the trash out of the lakes.
But how everyday people can deal with microscopic pieces of plastic is a more challenging question. Now a two-year-long study into washing machine filters in an Ontario community shows something can be done.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/study-washing-machine-microfibers/
By Mohamed Ibrahim, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota lakes have lost nearly two weeks of lake ice over the past 50 years as climate change diminishes the state’s winters, officials from Minnesota’s natural resources and pollution control agencies said Friday.
According to newly released data from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources, the state has lost an average of 10 to 14 days of lake ice over the past 50 years — a change officials say is hurting local economies, the environment and the Minnesota way of life.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-minnesota-lake-climate-change/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Indiana:
Duke Energy Indiana set aside over $330,000 for customers facing difficulty paying their winter electricity bills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/energy-news-roundup-financial-assistance-program/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/first-phase-cleanup-steel-mill-site/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
Oil giant BP agreed Thursday to pay a $512,450 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its Whiting refinery in Indiana under an agreement with regulators and activists who accused the company of violating an earlier deal.
The U.S. District Court settlement modifies a previous consent decree that required BP Products North America Inc.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-bp-500k-penalty-soot-indiana/
By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
America needs to rethink and reduce the way it generates plastics because so much of the material is littering the oceans and other waters, the National Academy of Sciences says in a new report.
The United States, the world’s top plastics waste producer, generates more than 46 million tons (42 million metric tons) a year, and about 2.2 billion pounds (1 million metric tons) ends up in the world’s oceans, according to the academy’s report.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-science-report-plastic-oceans/
By Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/seawall-collapse-gravel-detroit-river/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer abandoned a lawsuit Tuesday aimed at shutting down an oil pipeline that runs through part of the Great Lakes but said the state would continue pursuing a separate case with the same goal.
Whitmer’s legal maneuver followed a federal judge’s decision earlier this month to retain jurisdiction over a suit brought by Enbridge Energy after the state revoked an easement allowing Line 5 to cross the Straits of Mackinac.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/ap-michigan-drops-oil-pipeline-suit/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan and Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/enbridge-line-5-wont-close/
By Sarah Sax, High Country News
This story originally appeared in High Country News and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
For two weeks, leaders and representatives from around the world have gathered in person and virtually in Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations’ 26th annual climate change summit, called the Conference of the Parties, or COP26.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/bringing-fight-dams-cop26/
By Jenessa Duncombe, Eos
This story originally appeared in Eos and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
An interview with the president of the International Ski Federation, Gian Franco Kasper, made its way around the Internet faster than locals flocking to the first chair on a powder day.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ski-industry-climate-activism/
By Josh Funk, Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators have proposed suspending a Trump administration rule that would have allowed railroads to haul liquefied natural gas while they take a closer look at the potential safety risks.
The rule, which was backed by both the natural gas and freight rail industries, had already been on hold because several environmental groups and 14 states filed lawsuits challenging it.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-regulators-suspend-trump-rule-railway-gas/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
A federal judge retained jurisdiction Tuesday in a dispute over a Canadian oil pipeline that runs through a section of the Great Lakes, rejecting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s contention that the case belongs in state court.
The clash over whether Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 should continue operating raises issues “under consideration at the highest levels of this country’s government” involving a U.S.-Canada treaty and federal pipeline safety regulation, U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-judge-michigan-oil-pipeline-case-in-federal-court/
By Sarah Cwiek, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/white-house-line-5/
This work was supported in part by the Solutions Journalism Network.
Under an ominous gray and blustery sky, forklifts dig into piles of jet-black furnace coke, dumping it into a ship tethered in the eastern channel of Burns Harbor in Northwest Indiana. Nearby are towering piles of red iron ore pellets, and just across the channel loom the smokestacks, conveyors and furnaces of a steel mill.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainable-shipping-burns-harbor-port-industrial-coast/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. and Canada will discuss the future of an oil pipeline that crosses part of the Great Lakes and is the subject of rising tension over whether it should be shut down, the White House said Monday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/white-ap-house-michigan-pipeline-canada/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/michigan-avoid-products-containing-pfas/
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.
A small catfish that is endangered in both Michigan and Ontario is making a comeback thanks to improved water quality and artificial reef construction in the Detroit and St.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/endangered-catfish-health-detroit-rivers/
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Twin Metals will appeal a federal decision that dealt a serious blow to its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, the company said Wednesday.
Last week, the Biden administration ordered a mineral withdrawal study on 225,000 acres of federal land that could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a popular recreational area in the Superior National Forest.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-twin-metals-federal-decision-mine/
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana utility company is looking to shutter a coal-fired power plant along Lake Michigan two years earlier than planned.
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said it now plans to retire its electricity generating plant in Michigan City between 2026 and 2028 rather than the previous shutdown target of 2028.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-utility-shutdown-lake-michigan-power-plant/
By Ellen Knickmeyer, Emily Swanson and Nathan Ellgren, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden heads to a vital U.N. climate summit at a time when a majority of Americans regard the deteriorating climate as a problem of high importance to them, an increase from just a few years ago.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-majority-concerned-climate-poll/
The Ontario government is funding projects aimed at helping farmers and landowners preserve water quality of the Great Lakes watershed.
More than $2.5 million was awarded to 19 projects that ranged from green infrastructure projects to helping spread good land management practices to reduce the amount of contaminants and excess nutrients, such as phosphorous, entering the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/farm-ontario-projects-great-lakes/
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will travel to the United Kingdom next week to discuss the state’s efforts to neutralize climate change while bolstering economic development, his office said Wednesday.
The Democrat and top staff members will travel to Britain and Scotland from Nov. 2-9 and attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-pritzker-uk-climate-change/
By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/climate-talks-planet-overheating-water/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/pfas-study-michigan-wisconsin-minnesota-billions-transparency/
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.
When the Ashtabula River and Harbor was identified as a Great Lakes pollution hotspot, or Area of Concern, in 1985, few people thought the day would ever come when it was cleaned up and no longer a detriment to the community and Lake Erie.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/great-lakes-moment-lessons-ashtabula-cleanup/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/drought-irrigation-michigan/
Manish Bapna believes that, as a country, we are at a critical juncture with climate change and the time to act is now.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overcome the climate crisis and build a healthier, more equitable and more vibrant world,” Bapna said in a statement on his appointment in August as president and CEO of the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/natural-resources-defense-council-climate-equity-diversity-qna/
Beyond the obvious proximity to the five Great Lakes, what makes a region? The Midwest has its own stereotypes – the Rust Belt has become a popular term for northern post-industrial cities – but perhaps the draw of the Earth’s bounty of freshwater is more meaningful?
Aside from the cultural influence of the lakes, the Great Lakes region is a combination of environmental science, politics and economy.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/map-region-definitions-great-lakes/
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota encountered a setback Monday when the state Court of Appeals ordered regulators to revisit a critical air emissions permit given to the project.
The court ruled that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency hadn’t sufficiently justified granting the permit after opponents raised allegations that PolyMet was planning a much larger mine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-minnesota-court-polymet-air-permit-case-agency/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/pfas-epa-fracking-ontario-cleanup-action-act-house/
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois prosecutors on Friday sued the owner of a chemical plant where a fire last month sent dark smoke and ash into the air for days and prompted evacuations, saying the company should be held accountable for air and water pollution and hazards that still exist.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-illinois-sues-owner-plant-fire-evacuations/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois:
In a surprise announcement last Thursday, NRG said it would close its Waukegan and Romeoville coal plants, but the community impacts are unclear as “just transition” provisions remain held up in state energy bill negotiations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/energy-investments-biden-line-3-keystone-xl-cancellation/
As President Joe Biden tries to advance his high-profile legislative agenda in a sharply divided Congress, a low-profile bill that could help the Great Lakes region is progressing with bipartisan support.
If passed, it could finally help the region shake its Rust Belt image.
The legislation is the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/legislation-investment-tech-research-great-lakes-cities/
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.
In southwest Detroit, evidence of environmental injustice can be found nearly everywhere, and communities of color and low wealth feel that polluting companies and government officials are not doing enough to address many long-standing environmental problems.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ecosystem-restoration-environmental-justice-southwest-detroit/
