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

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

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

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/regulation-invasive-species-great-lakes/

Maya Sundaresan

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Coal interests sue to block Pennsylvania’s carbon policy

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Coal-related interests sued on April 28 to block the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change, a carbon-pricing policy that will impose a cost for emitting planet-warming carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-fired power plants.

The lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court by owners of coal-fired power plants, owners of coal mines and labor unions that mine coal and maintain the power plants say the regulation written by Wolf’s administration is “patently unlawful.”

The regulation took effect Saturday after a long regulatory vetting process and fights with a hostile Legislature controlled by Republicans who are historically protective of Pennsylvania’s coal and natural gas industries.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/coal-interests-carbon-policy/

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Canada lynx protections deal sealed by US, environmentalists

By Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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

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Great Lakes News Collaborative examines Water’s True Cost

As the nation prepares to pour billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan with a special series of reports and events during May.  Reporters from Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, and Michigan Radio have combined their resources for the most extensive coverage on the cost of water in Michigan to date.

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GLN Editor

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

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

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

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

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

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/doug-fords-expansion-ontario-greenbelt/

The Narwhal

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Big greenhouse gas state taking biggest climate step yet

By Marc Levy, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — More than two years after he started work on it, Gov. Tom Wolf is set to enact the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change, making Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy — but it might be a short-lived victory.

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Evers creates new office of environmental justice

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers on Friday signed an executive order creating a new office of environmental justice, announcing the move on Earth Day.

Republicans last year removed the office from Evers’ proposed budget. But the Democrat up for reelection this November got around them by creating it through an executive order.

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EXPLAINER: Can climate change be solved by pricing carbon?

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — As climate change bakes the planet, dozens of nations and many local governments are putting a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions that are increasing flooding, droughts and other costly catastrophes.

Pennsylvania on Saturday becomes the first major fossil fuel-producing state in the U.S.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/climate-change-pricing-carbon/

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Northern Indiana residents doubt outcome of coal ash cleanup

By Beth Edwards, Indiana Environmental Reporter

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

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Cleaner Earth: Healing ozone hole, less smog, more eagles

By Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer

With climate change, plastic pollution and a potential sixth mass extinction, humanity has made some incredible messes in the world.

But when people, political factions and nations have pulled together, they have also cleaned up some of those human-caused environmental problems, including healing the ozone hole, clearing perpetually smoggy air and saving many species from the brink of extinction.

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Gov. Whitmer wants federal aid to keep nuclear plant open

By Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press

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

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

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Energy News Roundup: Ontario looks to phase out natural gas, wild rice could stop Line 3, Energy Department invests in cybersecurity

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

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Illinois:

  • Illinois EPA grants permit to Pond Creek Mine to dump polluted water into Big Muddy – The Southern Illinoisan

On April 15, 2022, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA, IEPA, or Agency) approved a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for Williamson Energy, LLC Pond Creek Mine No.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/energy-news-roundup-ontario-natural-gas-energy-department-cybersecurity/

Natasha Blakely

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Minnesota Supreme Court to hear challenge in PolyMet case

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a challenge by environmentalists over portions of a lower court ruling involving a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals in January reversed a 2018 decision by state regulators to issue PolyMet Mining Corp.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-minnesota-supreme-court-polymet-case/

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Report: Michigan increases recycling by 35.4% in 3 years

Michigan has reached a 19.3% recycling rate, an increase of 35.4% from prior to 2019, according to an analysis the state of Michigan released Monday ahead of Earth Day on Friday.

Before 2019, the state estimated Michigan’s recycling rate, the rate at which recyclable materials are recycled from waste, was 14.25%.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-michigan-increases-recycling/

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To build a new pipeline or not: Illinois city seeks Lake Michigan water

In less than a decade, Joliet, Illinois, could run out of water.

The city of 150,000 people, roughly 45 minutes southwest of Chicago, is facing a looming water crisis as the patchwork of underground wells and aquifers it currently uses for municipal water is drying up.

Joliet currently relies on the Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone aquifer system for its water.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/build-new-pipeline-illinois-lake-michigan-water/

John McCracken

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DNR restarts effort to set bacteria standards in groundwater

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources has restarted efforts to set standards for bacteria in groundwater after conservatives on the agency’s policy board killed the attempt in February.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the board on Wednesday authorized a public hearing and comment period on a new rule-making process to set groundwater standards for E.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-dnr-effort-bacteria-standards-groundwater/

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Group: Feds hid plans to weaken whooping crane protection

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

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

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-weaken-whooping-crane-protection/

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Drinking Water News Roundup: EPA won’t regulate rocket fuel, Illinois prison water contaminated with Legionella

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:

  • Illinois advocates call for action after prison officials mislead on contaminated water – The Appeal

On March 11, IDOC and the Illinois Department of Public Health released a joint press release announcing that Legionella bacteria had been detected in two prisons—Stateville Correctional Center and Joliet Treatment Center.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/drinking-water-news-roundup-epa-rocket-fuel-prison-water-contaminated/

Natasha Blakely

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Governor appeals court order blocking carbon emissions plan

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has asked the state’s highest court to let the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change take effect and make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.

The filing late Thursday in the state Supreme Court appealed a two-day old decision by the lower Commonwealth Court which, in a one-line unsigned order, barred the official publication of the Democratic governor’s regulation “pending further order.”

The regulation had been scheduled to be published on Saturday, making it official.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-governor-appeals-court-order-carbon-emissions/

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GOP’s energy promises face limits in Pa. governor’s race

By Marc Levy, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican Bill McSwain pledges to be a pro-energy governor by “turning on the spigot of natural gas.” Another hopeful, Dave White, says he wants Pennsylvania “to be the energy capital of the world.” A third candidate, Lou Barletta, says having a glut of natural gas in the ground without a pipeline is “like being in college and having a keg of beer without a tap.”

In Pennsylvania, the No.

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PFAS News Roundup: Pennsylvania sets regulations, judge says Wisconsin DNR can’t regulate, Chemours uses climate change to defend PFAS

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.

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Natasha Blakely

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Michigan is spending big on infrastructure. Its problems are even bigger.

By Jonathan Oosting and Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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Bridge Michigan

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The Catch: Benton Harbor’s lead pipes and the plan to replace them

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

Benton Harbor’s water problems aren’t new.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/the-catch-benton-harbor-lead-pipes/

Sandra Svoboda

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State praised for vow to remove sources of lead from Benton Harbor homes

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/vow-remove-lead-benton-harbor-homes/

Bridge Michigan

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‘We’ve got to get gaming out of our blood’: Pandemic shock pushes Wisconsin tribes to diversify economy

This article, first posted here, was republished with permission from Wisconsin Watch.

By Mario Koran, Wisconsin Watch

This story is part of a collaborative series, “At the Crossroads,” from the Institute for Nonprofit News, Indian Country Today, Wisconsin Watch and eight other news partners, examining the state of the economy in Indian Country.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pandemic-shock-pushes-wisconsin-tribes-to-diversify-economy/

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Pennsylvania court blocks governor’s carbon emissions plan

By Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania court on April 5 blocked the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change, the latest challenge to the Democrat’s effort to make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pennsylvania-court-blocks-governors-carbon-emissions-plan/

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Ohio legislation eases state regulation of some streams

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall would be restricted under proposed Ohio legislation months in the works.

Construction companies, the mining industry and other business groups say removing so-called ephemeral streams from regulation would make Ohio’s practice consistent with federal law.

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Easier Ride for Fossils, But $9.1B in Climate Funding as Ottawa Releases 2030 Plan

By Mitchell Beer, The Energy Mix 

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

The fossil and transportation sectors get a relatively free ride and electricity producers do the most to decarbonize in the much-anticipated 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan released March 29 by Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/climate-funding-ottawa-2030-plan/

The Energy Mix

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US taps $420M to boost water supplies hit by climate change

By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials slated millions of dollars for rural water projects in several states, with the Biden administration looking to shore up infrastructure needs made more urgent by long-term drought conditions that have been exacerbated by climate change.

The U.S.

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Illinois environmental justice bill would help residents prevent pollution

By Kari Lydersen, Energy News Network

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

Illinois activists who led fights to close coal plants and ban petroleum coke storage are now leading the charge for a bill that would provide new powers and funding to environmental justice communities.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/illinois-environmental-justice-bill-prevent-pollution/

Energy News Network

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Minnesota bill aims to close a gap on funding for ‘pre-weatherization’ work

By Frank Jossi, Energy News Network

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

A lack of state funding to help Minnesota homeowners clean up mold, asbestos and other hazards is limiting the reach of federal weatherization programs in the state, preventing some of those most in need from accessing benefits.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/minnesota-bill-funding-pre-weatherization-work/

Energy News Network

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Great Lakes Moment: Historic Great Lakes agreement reaches golden anniversary

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.

The Great Lakes represent one-fifth the standing freshwater on the Earth’s surface, provide ecosystem services or benefits to approximately 34 million people living in the basin, and serve as the foundation for the $5 trillion regional economy that would be one of the largest in the world if it stood alone as a country.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-moment-historic-great-lakes-agreement-anniversary/

John Hartig

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer signs over $4.7B for infrastructure

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is investing more than $4.7 billion to improve infrastructure, including drinking water upgrades, internet access and fixing roads, bridges and dams.

The spending plan includes some of the biggest infrastructure investments in state history, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday before signing the bipartisan legislation in Grand Rapids.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-gov-whitmer-signs-4-7b-infrastructure/

The Associated Press

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Report: Climate change threatens these 29 Michigan chemical sites

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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Bridge Michigan

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Small portions: Michigan puts PFAS advisory on Lake Superior rainbow smelt

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/pfas-advisory-lake-superior-rainbow-smelt/

Bridge Michigan

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DNR issues expansion permit for Kewaunee County factory farm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced March 25 it will issue a permit that will make it harder for a Kewaunee County factory farm accused of contaminating drinking water to expand.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the permit caps the number of cows at the Kinnard Farms facility at about 8,000 head, the number of cows the farm currently houses.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/dnr-issues-expansion-permit-for-kewaunee-county-factory-farm/

The Associated Press

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The pandemic that closed the U.S./Canadian border to people may have opened it to the invasive sea lamprey

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

By Danielle James, Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes invasive species cling to shipments and navigate canals to migrate, but one aquatic invader – sea lamprey – benefitted from border closures instead.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/border-opened-invasive-sea-lamprey/

Great Lakes Echo

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Michigan Legislature approves $4.8B infrastructure plan

By David Eggert, Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers approved $4.8 billion in spending March 24, mostly for infrastructure upgrades, with an influx of federal pandemic and other funds that will go toward water systems, roads, parks and other priorities including affordable housing.

The huge supplemental budget plan, which Gov.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-michigan-legislature-approves-infrastructure-plan/

The Associated Press

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Drinking Water News Roundup: Best tasting water in the world in Ohio, nation’s worst waterways in Indiana

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:

  • Gladstone warns residents of water nitrate levels, says infants younger than 6 months should not drink it—WQAD8

The Village of Gladstone is warning residents with infants younger than 6 months of high levels of nitrate in the town’s drinking water.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/drinking-water-news-roundup-best-tasting-water-ohio-worst-waterways-indiana/

Maya Sundaresan

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In: Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, community, Feature Homepage, lake erie, Lake Ontario, News, Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation, Recreation and Tourism, Sharon Oosthoek, sports, Toronto, Tourism
Surfing the Great Lakes: ‘What? People do that here?’

On a cool fall day in 2007, Robin Pacquing slipped on a wetsuit, grabbed a surfboard and headed into Lake Ontario.

As a teenager, Pacquing had been a huge Baywatch fan and learned to love surfing during a family trip to Hawaii. As an adult, she went on to surf the waves off Tofino, British Colombia, never dreaming she might do the same just outside her door.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/surfing-great-lakes/

Sharon Oosthoek

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Chicago educator empowers students to make climate connections in their own communities

By Audrey Henderson, Energy News Network

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

For many city kids, flowers have cut stems and vegetables are packed in styrofoam and plastic on shelves in the grocery store.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/chicago-educator-empowers-students-climate-connections-communities/

Energy News Network

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In: clean water, Collaboration, fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, Forests and Plants, infrastructure, invasive species, Latest News, mussels, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
5 Reasons to Love (and Protect) Freshwater Mussels

By Tara Lohan, The Revelator

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

In September the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the federal list of endangered species — not because they’d rebounded, sadly, but because they are believed to be extinct.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/reasons-to-love-freshwater-mussels/

The Revelator

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In: Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Illinois, Indiana, Latest News, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, PFAS, PFAS News Roundup, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Wisconsin
PFAS News Roundup: Indiana PFAS property transfers, Lake Superior rainbow smelt advisory, new Ohio PFAS regulation bill

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.

Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/pfas-news-roundup-indiana-new-ohio-pfas-regulation-bill/

Maya Sundaresan

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In: Advocacy, Climate change, Collaboration, environmental equity, Equity and Environmental Justice, flooding, History and Culture, infrastructure, Latest News, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, The States, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
Black Neighborhoods Will Bear Future Flood Burden

By Kimberly M. S. Cartier, 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.

Residents of New Orleans are no strangers to floods and the losses that follow.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/black-neighborhoods-future-flood-burden/

Eos

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In: AP, Drinking Water, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Lead, flint, Lead, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Judge: Ex-governor must testify in Flint water civil trial

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and several other officials must testify in a civil trial involving engineering firms being sued over liability for lead-contaminated water connected to the Flint water crisis, a judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge Judith Levy denied motions by Snyder, his former advisor, two former state-appointed emergency managers and an ex-Flint city official to quash subpoenas compelling them to testify.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-ex-governor-testify-flint-water-civil-trial/

The Associated Press

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Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio

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

By Shelby Frink, Great Lakes Echo

A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state.

The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years, said Mark Warman, the scientist who found the plant on private property last September after his friend posted photos on the social network iNaturalist.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/native-aquatic-plant-ohio/

Great Lakes Echo

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In: Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, Forests and Plants, Latest News, News, Ohio, plants, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Wildlife
Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio

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

By Shelby Frink, Great Lakes Echo

A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state.

The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years, said Mark Warman, the scientist who found the plant on private property last September after his friend posted photos on the social network iNaturalist.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/native-aquatic-plant-ohio/

Great Lakes Echo

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In: AP, dams, Energy, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Fish, Birds and Animals, hydropower, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, News, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Hydropower eyes bigger energy role, less environmental harm

By Suman Naishadham, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that for decades helped barges move goods along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers will in a few years also generate enough power for 75,000 homes.

Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is retrofitting the dams with turbines to generate electricity and says the upgraded structures will limit damage to the rivers’ water quality and fish.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-hydropower-bigger-energy-role-less-environmental-harm/

The Associated Press

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In: AP, Budget, Forever Chemicals Featured, infrastructure, News, PFAS, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, wells, Wisconsin
La Crosse officials to spend another $25K on bottled water

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — The city council in La Crosse has decided to spend another $25,000 on bottled water for town of Campbell residents with PFAS-contaminated wells.

The La Crosse Tribune reported March 11 that the council voted March 10 to pull the money from the city’s contingency fund.

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https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-la-crosse-25k-bottled-water/

The Associated Press

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In: Budget, economic development, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Natasha Blakely, News, Policy, Politics, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Legislation introduced for Great Lakes Authority, a new federal entity for the Great Lakes region

During the March “Great Lakes Week” organized by the Great Lakes Commission, Rep. Marcy Kaptur talked about the Great Lakes Authority.

The Great Lakes Authority, which would be a federal entity focused on the economic interests of the Great Lakes region, is an idea that the congresswoman has fought to put into legislation for a few years already.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/legislation-great-lakes-authority-federal-entity/

Natasha Blakely