U.S. EPA announces action on microplastics, but Michigan critics say it’s not enough
The federal government announced a new $144 million program to study microplastics and the risks they pose to human health. But some environmental groups say the action isn’t aggressive enough.
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Where do you put a thousand-year flood?
In Milwaukee, every flush and drain leads to Kevin Shafer. As the executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, he manages a system where extreme…
How do you manage a thousand-year flood? | Great Lakes Now | Full Episode
When a thousand‑year storm overwhelmed Milwaukee, one man faced a critical decision. Plus, why do false springs show up every year? What causes them? And as…
Trump administration plans closure of 4 Michigan forestry research centers
The closures are part of a broader consolidation and reorganization that will move the US Forest Service headquarters from the nation’s capital to Salt Lake City.
Michigan shuts down Belle Isle redevelopment plan critics call ‘dystopian’
The state is dismissing a long-shot proposal to buy Belle Isle for $1 billion and convert it into a privately funded entertainment and residential district.
How Two Teens in Niagara Falls Are Confronting Pollution and a Mental Health Crisis
Finding hope and resilience in a city burdened with environmental pollution and generational trauma.
Spore loser: the DIY mushroom-growing trend invading Ontario forests
Golden oyster mushrooms are spreading fast, altering how Ontario’s forests grow, decompose and nurture important native mushrooms.
The northern Michigan ice storm battered the electric grid. Is burying power lines the solution?
It’s been a year since the devastating ice storm. Poles and wires have since been replaced, but some residents wonder whether it makes more sense to bury them…
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After Chemical Industry Lobbying, EPA Considers Dropping Clean Air Protections for Plastic Waste Recycling
The ExxonMobil Baytown Complex in Baytown, Texas, at dusk in 2023. The company developed what it calls advanced recycling of plastic waste involving pyrolysis in part of this complex. Credit: James Bruggers/Inside Climate News
Line 5 opponents raise concerns over report on geologic conditions for proposed tunnel
Opponents said they’re worried about potentially unsafe conditions, like weak bedrock, high water pressure and dangerous gases beneath the Straits.
How Ann Arbor, Michigan, is creating its own clean energy utility
Investor-owned utilities have been slow to ditch oil and gas. The city of Ann Arbor plans to boost access to renewables through a new dual-service model.
What’s next for Ohio’s former green steel project? More coal, it seems.
Cleveland-Cliffs won a federal grant to install hydrogen-ready tech. Now, it wants to revamp its Middletown blast furnace, raising questions about its use of funds.
Winter road salt is threatening Lake Simcoe and Ontario watersheds year-round
Salt used to remove ice from roadways is collecting in Simcoe’s watershed — a source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people.
A Wisconsin whitefish refuge offers lessons for Michigan. But will it last?
Once considered too polluted for whitefish to thrive, southern Green Bay has suddenly become the only place in Lake Michigan where the fish aren’t collapsing. What can Michigan learn from its success? And will it last?
