Family-owned fishing businesses displaced by waterfront developments on Great Lakes

By Hannah L. Harrison, University of Guelph, The Conversation

 is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

For three generations, the Minor family — today brothers Carson and Landon and their father Paul — have been up before first light to board their fishing tug and make their way to their fishing grounds on Lake Erie.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/family-owned-fishing-businesses-displaced-waterfront-developments-great-lakes/

The Conversation

Wisconsin climate task force releases its recommendations

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A bipartisan task force that brought together environmentalists, the energy industry and others released its recommendations Wednesday for how Wisconsin might bolster its economy while addressing climate change.

The report from the task force, which was led by Lt.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-wisconsin-climate-task-force-recommendations/

The Associated Press

Great Lakes Energy News Roundup: Recognition of tribal treaties, Michigan Green Bank, former Upper Peninsula mine sites

Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.

In this edition: Environmentalists in Wisconsin sue EPA over regulation rollback favoring coal plants, bankruptcy plan for Ohio nuclear power company upheld by appeals court, Prairie Island tribe prepares for massive investment in renewable energy, and Ford Motors to invest millions for electric vehicle construction in southeast Michigan

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Michigan:

  • Oft Ignored, Tribal Treaties Are Seeing Greater Recognition and Influence – The Daily Yonder

Across the United States, tribal treaties are becoming more and more influential in shaping legislative policy while also seeing greater recognition in courthouses, potentially reshaping the entire landscape of environmental justice.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/great-lakes-energy-michigan-tribal-green-mine/

Ian Wendrow

Public Concern: Climate change, runoff and chemicals at the forefront of people’s worries about the Great Lakes

NOTE: The report will formally be presented in English at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 10. A French session will follow at 3:30 p.m. For more details about how you can watch or ask questions, click here.

Public concern about climate change is escalating in the Great Lakes region, according to a new report issued by a binational group that manages and protects the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/public-concern-climate-change-runoff-chemicals-ijc/

Natasha Blakely

Index: International Joint Commission’s 2020 Triennial Assessment of Progress Report

If you read the International Joint Commission’s 2020 Triennial Assessment of Progress Report or

watched the webinar where the IJC announced and discussed the findings, you might be curious about some of the other reports and documents referenced.

For the 2020 triennial report, go to the IJC’s website.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/index-international-joint-commission-2020-triennial-assessment-of-progress-report/

GLN Editor

Wisconsin says wolf season will be held next November

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin will resume its wolf season next November after the animal is dropped from the federal endangered species list, the state announced Friday.

The Department of Natural Resources said wolf season will begin Nov. 6. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last month that it would delist gray wolves, citing thriving populations in the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-wisconsin-wolf-season-next-november/

The Associated Press

Michigan will borrow $600M for Flint water settlement

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers on Wednesday planned to begin swiftly passing a plan to borrow $600 million to fund the state’s proposed settlement with the residents of Flint, who sued after their municipal water supply was contaminated with elevated levels of lead for 18 months.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-michigan-borrow-600m-flint-water-settlement/

The Associated Press

What should justice look like for Flint after the water crisis? Residents weigh in

By Amy Diaz, Flint Beat, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

Flint, MI– Lorraine Taylor remembers when she first started having to fit bottled water into her already tight $20 weekly grocery budget.

She remembered thinking about how blessed she was to have a car so she could drive to the grocery store.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/what-should-justice-look-like-for-flint-after-the-water-crisis-residents-weigh-in/

Flint Beat

Field Tiles: Continued use and improvement of drainage systems pose problems for Lake Erie

The watersheds that feed the Western Basin of Lake Erie are home to thousands of crop and livestock farms. Those farmers use underground systems to manage rainwater, including many located where a massive swamp once made up the Ohio landscape.

All those farms face challenges managing fertilizers and water in their fields with drainage systems.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/field-tiles-drainage-systems-pose-problems-lake-erie/

James Proffitt

Officials: Flint makes progress toward ending water crisis

Flint has taken important steps toward resolving the lead contamination crisis that made the impoverished Michigan city a symbol of the drinking water problems that plague many U.S. communities, officials said Monday.

A total of $120 million in federal and state funding has helped Flint replace more than 9,700 lead service lines, which carry water from main pipes into homes, said Kurt Thiede, administrator of the U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-officials-flint-makes-progress-toward-ending-water-crisis/

The Associated Press

What the Biden Administration Might Mean For Water

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/biden-administration-water-policy-expert-roundtable/

Circle of Blue

Federal officials hear arguments on Enbridge pipeline tunnel

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Building an oil pipeline tunnel beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes would risk environmental devastation, opponents said Monday, while supporters argued that rejecting the plan would further damage a Michigan economy already reeling from the coronavirus.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-federal-officials-hear-arguments-enbridge-pipeline-tunnel/

The Associated Press

Hundreds of boats likely destroyed in Michigan marina fire

LASALLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A fire Friday destroyed an enormous building loaded with hundreds of boats stored for the winter in southeastern Michigan, sending smoke for miles along Lake Erie.

Neighbors and boat owners rushed to get as close as possible to Toledo Beach Marina. Aerial video showed clouds of black smoke and a building overwhelmed by flames.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-hundreds-boats-likely-destroyed-michigan-marina-fire/

The Associated Press

Minnesota regulators deny request to delay Line 3 pipeline

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota regulatory panel on Friday denied a request from two tribes to prevent Enbridge Energy from moving forward with its contentious Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement, which broke ground this week after receiving its final state permit.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-minnesota-regulators-deny-request-to-delay-line-3-pipeline/

The Associated Press

Drinking Water News Roundup: Indiana utilities plan for climate change, Waukesha pipeline construction begins

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:

Indiana:

  • ‘Will We Have Water When We Need It?’: How Indiana Utilities Are Preparing for Climate Change – Indiana Star

Just 150 miles from Lake Michigan, utility planners are worried about finding enough water to supply a growing Indianapolis because of climate change.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/drinking-water-climate-change-lead-first-nations-waukesha-pipeline/

Grace Dempsey

Great Lakes Moment: A new vision for the former McLouth Steel site in Trenton

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.

For over two decades, when you drove by the former McLouth Steel Plant in Trenton, you could not help but slow down and stare.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/new-vision-waterfront-former-mclouth-steel-site-trenton/

John Hartig

What’s next for the Enbridge Line 3 project in Minnesota? Construction. And protests.

By Walker Orenstein, MinnPost, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

Enbridge Energy has all the permits it needs to start construction on a controversial new crude oil pipeline in Minnesota, more than five years after the Canadian company first asked state regulators to approve the Line 3 project.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/enbridge-line-3-project-minnesota-construction-protests/

MinnPost

Enbridge starts construction on Line 3 in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Enbridge Energy began construction on its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement in Minnesota on Tuesday, a day after state regulators approved the final permit for the $2.6 billion project amid legal challenges from local activist and Indigenous groups.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-enbridge-starts-construction-line-3-minnesota/

The Associated Press

Minnesota gives final green light to disputed oil pipeline

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota regulators approved the final permit Monday for Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota, giving the company the green light to begin construction on the $2.6 billion project.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency granted a construction storm water permit for the project, which was the last hurdle that Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge needed to clear after years of reviews and court battles.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/ap-minnesota-final-green-light-disputed-oil-pipeline/

The Associated Press

Dismissed: Michigan advocates outraged by state’s bottled water decision

Water conservation advocacy groups in Michigan expressed outrage over the state’s recent dismissal of their appeal of the decision allowing Nestle Waters North America to increase the amount of groundwater it was withdrawing for bottled water.

Nestle received the greenlight for additional withdrawals in 2018 under the administration of former Gov.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/12/dismissed-michigan-advocates-outraged-by-bottled-water-decision/

Gary Wilson

“Saving the Great Lakes”: National Geographic December issue explores the lakes and their struggles

A familiar view for many who live and play around the Great Lakes graces the current cover of National Geographic – a stormy sunset over Lake Michigan, seen from the sandy beaches of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The feature story of the magazine’s December 2020 issue puts a spotlight on the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/saving-great-lakes-national-geographic-december-issue-struggles/

Natasha Blakely

Michigan agency recommends $5.4M for recreation projects

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officials have selected 14 community and state parks, trails and sports facilities to share $5.4 million in federal grants.

The state Department of Natural Resources said the money will come from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is supported by revenues from gas and oil development from the Gulf of Mexico.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-michigan-agency-recreation-projects/

The Associated Press

Minnesota tribes file to halt pipeline approval due to virus

ST. PAUL, Minn (AP) — Two Native American tribes in northern Minnesota are asking state regulators to stop the imminent construction of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement, saying it would increase the risk of coronavirus infections spreading.

The Red Lake and White Earth Bands of Chippewa filed a motion late Wednesday asking the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to stay its approval of the $2.6 billion project.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-minnesota-tribes-pipeline-approval-virus/

The Associated Press

How does a $641 million Flint water settlement get to residents? Attorneys give answers

By Amy Diaz, Flint Beat, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

Flint, MI– Attorneys involved in the Flint Water Litigation provided an overview of the $641.25 million water settlement Nov. 23 on the City of Flint Facebook page.

This information session followed the proposal of a $20 million contribution to the settlement by the city’s insurer.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/641-million-flint-water-settlement-residents-attorneys/

Flint Beat

Enbridge sues Michigan over Line 5 shutdown order

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/enbridge-sues-michigan-over-line-5-shutdown-order/

Bridge Michigan

Michigan politicians ran on water problems. Activists want money for fixes.

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/michigan-politicians-water-problems-activists-fixes/

Bridge Michigan

Army Corps of Engineers grants final federal Line 3 permit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday approved the final federal permit for Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota, bringing the project a step closer to construction.

In a release from its St.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-army-corps-engineers-final-federal-line-3-permit/

The Associated Press

Michigan’s Blackman Charter Township officials announced on November 17, 2020 that the water system is not in compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule.  This means homes can experience high lead levels in their water.  Because lead is a highly toxic metal, it is important to take steps to reduce lead if you live in the Blackman Charter Township Water Service Area.
 
Here are important steps to reducing lead at your tap: 1) flush water for 5 minutes before you first use water each day because water that sits in pipes for over 6 hours can leach lead from pipes and fixtures, 2) consider using a NSF 53 certified filter to remove lead, 3) only use cold water for drinking and cooking.  For more information on lead and water click here.
 
Although public officials recommend filters for people in areas that are out of compliance only for homes with children and pregnant women, there is no safe level of lead, so we encourage everyone to use a filter and follow maintenance schedules.

Original Article

Blog – Freshwater Future

Blog – Freshwater Future

https://freshwaterfuture.org/drinking-water/alert-blackman-charter-township-michigan-water-does-not-meet-drinking-water-standards/

Leslie Burk

Drinking Water News Roundup: Wisconsin sets caps for 22 contaminants, lead pipes more likely in POC communities

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:

  • People of Color in Illinois More Likely to Live in Communities with Lead Pipes – WBEZ.org Chicago NPR

Research has long shown that pollution often disproportionately affects low income — especially Black and brown — communities.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/drinking-water-wisconsin-contaminants-lead-pipes/

Grace Dempsey

Legal Translation: Environmental attorney explains the latest on Enbridge Line 5 news

With so many twists and turns in the Line 5 story, it’s hard to keep up with the legal filings and positions from Enbridge Energy Corp., various Michigan governmental agencies and groups trying to stop or keep the pipeline.

But in the following conversation, attorney Nick Schroeck, who is the director of the environmental law clinic at University of Detroit Mercy, and Great Lakes Now Program Director Sandra Svoboda have this update about the latest legal actions and a refresher about what the pipeline is all about.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/legal-translation-environmental-attorney-explains-latest-enbridge-line-5/

GLN Editor

PFAS News Roundup: Michigan health study, Wisconsin deer and fish, possible impact on COVID-19 vaccine

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/pfas-news-roundup-michigan-wisconsin-study-vaccine/

Natasha Blakely

Flint water lawsuit settlement now totals about $641 million

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The proposed settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of Flint, Michigan, who were harmed by lead-tainted water now totals about $641 million, officials revealed Tuesday.

The lawsuit was the result of workers following state environmental officials’ advice not to use anti-corrosive additives.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-flint-water-lawsuit-settlement/

The Associated Press

As Great Lakes pummel Michigan, beach towns rush to set development rules

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/great-lakes-pummel-michigan-beach-towns-development-rules/

Bridge Michigan

Campus Clues to COVID-19: Sewage testing key to detecting early infections

Scientists at dozens of colleges and universities around the country are hoping early detection of COVID-19 infections can come from a not-so-glamorous sampling process.

With collection devices set up in campus sewer systems, researchers are sampling waste from residence halls and other buildings for evidence of the virus.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/campus-covid-19-sewage-testing-early-infections/

GLN Editor

Rollbacks, Climate, Justice: Environmental attorney on Biden’s commitments, opportunities and challenges

For President-elect Joe Biden, the environment and climate change as campaign issues weren’t tucked away in an obscure position paper. Neither was his intent to focus on environmental justice if elected.

Biden also put a spotlight on President Trump’s rollback via executive order of nearly 100 environmental protections in his four years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/rollbacks-climate-justice-environmental-attorney-president-elect-biden/

Gary Wilson

COVID-19 pushed people outdoors. Michigan’s ski industry is ready for them.

By Paula Gardner, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

Doubling the size of a factory during a global pandemic may not fit a traditional business plan.

But Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis is based in Northern Michigan, where it’s making a product that helps to define the winter economy for the ski-maker’s home in Boyne City and across the region.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/covid-19-outdoor-recreation-michigan-ski-industry/

Bridge Michigan

Q&A: What Michigan’s move to shut down Enbridge Line 5 means

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/michigan-shut-down-enbridge-line-5-means/

Bridge Michigan

Michigan governor seeks shutdown of Great Lakes oil pipeline

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took legal action Friday to shut down a pipeline that carries oil beneath a channel that links two of the Great Lakes.

Whitmer’s office notified the Canadian company that it was revoking an easement granted in 1953 to extend a roughly 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of the pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-michigan-governor-seeks-shutdown-line-5-great-lakes-oil-pipeline/

The Associated Press

Great Lakes Energy News Roundup: Wisconsin groups sue EPA, Ohio’s ongoing nuclear power bankruptcy saga

Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.

In this edition: Environmentalists in Wisconsin sue EPA over regulation rollback favoring coal plants, bankruptcy plan for Ohio nuclear power company upheld by appeals court, Prairie Island tribe prepares for massive investment in renewable energy, and Ford Motors to invest millions for electric vehicle construction in southeast Michigan

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Michigan:

  • Ford EV investments in southeast Michigan and Missouri to add hundreds of jobs – Detroit News

Ford Motor Company will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in southeast Michigan and Missouri to expand its electric vehicle assembly process and develop EV parts, which is projected to add or retain several hundred jobs in both states.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/great-lakes-energy-news-wisconsin-coal-ohio-nuclear/

Ian Wendrow

COVID-19 Compliance: Agencies grapple with environmental protection in the COVID-19 era

How do you protect water quality, public health and the environment when much of society comes to a near full stop with no notice?

That was the dilemma for regulatory agencies in March when the realities of the COVID-19 virus caused businesses and schools to close, factories to cease or drastically modify operations, travel to be restricted and office workers to scramble to set up makeshift workspaces in their homes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/covid-19-compliance-agencies-environmental-protection/

Gary Wilson

Q & A: The Great Lakes are stressed. Climate change is making it worse.

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/great-lakes-stressed-climate-change-worse/

Bridge Michigan

Groups fight to keep gray wolf protections for most of US

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife advocates and environmental groups have announced that they are challenging the removal of federal protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S.

Two coalitions of groups filed formal notices over the past several days that they plan to sue the U.S. Interior Department in federal court unless protections are restored.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-groups-gray-wolf-protections/

The Associated Press

Plastic Trap: New project pulls plastics out of the lakes, one floating garbage can at a time

An estimated 9,887 metric tonnes (22 million pounds) of plastics make their way into the Great Lakes every year. Now a new project aims not only to suck out some of that plastic but stop it from getting into the lakes in the first place.

It began last summer with Toronto Harbour’s installation of three Seabins – devices that look like trash cans in the water but behave like vacuum cleaners, said Christopher Hilkene, CEO of Pollution Probe.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/seabins-trap-plastics-great-lakes-canada/

Sharon Oosthoek

Church to honor 45th anniversary of Fitzgerald shipwreck

DETROIT (AP) — Mariners’ Church of Detroit will observe the 45th anniversary Sunday of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald during its yearly memorial service for those who have died in Great Lakes shipwrecks.

The event will be live-streamed on Facebook for the first time, said the Rev.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-church-anniversary-fitzgerald-shipwreck/

The Associated Press

Green group endorsements fail to push non-incumbents into Congress in the Great Lakes

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Great Lakes Echo

Only a minority of Great Lakes region congressional candidates endorsed by national environmental advocacy groups were victorious on Election Day.

The winners had a couple of things in common.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/green-group-endorsements-congress-great-lakes/

Great Lakes Echo

PFAS News Roundup: PFOS in fish, Wisconsin standards in dispute, lacking regulations in Canada

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.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/pfas-news-fish-wisconsin-canada/

Natasha Blakely

Drinking Water News Roundup: Illinois lead issues, Michigan citizen reporting, Canada First Nations water access

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:

  • Sycamore, Illinois, Residents Sue City for Toxic Tap Water That Sickens Residents – Businesswire

Residents of Sycamore, Illinois, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the city of Sycamore, alleging that it knowingly failed to maintain its water supply and ignored problems with its corrosion control treatment.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/drinking-water-news-lead-illinois-michigan-first-nations/

Grace Dempsey

Great Lakes produce new record for waterspouts in one week

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Audrey Porter, Great Lakes Echo

The Great Lakes produced a new high record in its number of 232 waterspouts from Sept. 28 through Oct. 4.

It tops the previous highest waterspout outbreak of 88 waterspouts in the month of  August.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/great-lakes-record-waterspouts/

Great Lakes Echo

Who in the U.S. Is in ‘Plumbing Poverty’? Mostly Urban Residents, Study Says

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/plumbing-poverty-urban-residents-study/

Circle of Blue

Overlooked: Small streams can have a big impact on Great Lakes water quality

Even casual observers of Great Lakes issues are aware of the problems associated with algal blooms.

Perhaps they remember the headlines from August 2014 when Toledo went without drinking water for three days due to the threat of toxic blooms contaminating the city’s water supply. Or a day their favorite beach posted “No Swimming” signs because of toxic algal bloom threats.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/small-streams-impact-great-lakes-water-quality/

Gary Wilson