Environment
Enbridge and Bad River Band to meet following pipeline decision
By the end of December, the legal battle between the Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc. and the Bad River Band will enter its next phase. U.S. District Judge William Conley issued an order Monday that requires Enbridge and the tribal community to meet to discuss ways to mitigate dangers associated with the company’s Line 5 […]
Little appetite for Manchin permitting bill in congressional lame-duck session
Among the items on Congress’ lengthy to-do list by the end of the year is U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s proposal to speed up the federal government’s permitting process that certifies energy projects do not harm the environment. But the bill, which was a condition of the centrist West Virginia Democrat’s support for his party’s larger […]
As utilities spend billions on transmission, support builds for independent monitoring
An aging electric grid, fossil fuel power plant retirements and a massive renewable electricity buildout are all contributing to a boom in transmission and distribution wire projects by electric utilities across the country. In 2020, investor-owned electric utilities spent $25 billion on transmission, up from $23.7 billion in 2019, figures that the Edison Electric Institute, […]
States test an electrifying idea: Roads that can recharge your EV
On two short stretches of road near downtown Detroit, Michigan transportation officials hope to make history. Over the next two years, they plan to embed technology in the pavement that can charge electric vehicles while they’re being driven. The wireless system will be the first U.S. test of so-called inductive charging on public roadways, according […]
Farm under county scrutiny for runoff involved in state program for reducing pollution
At the Aeschbach farm in Primrose, the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department has been trying since 2019 to get the property owner Wayne Aeschbach to install a fence preventing the farm’s 80 or so dairy and beef cattle from entering the nearby stream and to increase vegetation to prevent runoff. While Aeschbach has […]
DNR: 11 year old killed during hunting accident
An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in the Township of Seneca in Green Lake County on Sunday during a hunting accident. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and emergency medical services responded to the fatal incident. The boy had been deer hunting with a 41-year-old man and others. A […]
Secretary Preston Cole retiring from DNR
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole is retiring from his position after a 35 year career in public service and four years at the helm of the state’s conservation agency, Gov. Tony Evers announced in a news release Friday. Cole is set to retire on Wednesday, giving Evers a chance to nominate a […]
Frac sand mining back on the rise in Wisconsin
Prior to 2020, frac sand mining had been a declining industry in the Badger State. Wisconsin’s coveted northern white sand was proving too expensive to transport to sites across the country. Many companies migrated to Texas, closer to fracking operations that extract oil and gas. But one Texas-based company, Smart Sand Inc., is making a […]
State population goal eliminated in new Wisconsin wolf plan
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released a draft of its first updated wolf management plan in 23 years on Thursday. The plan notably doesn’t include a total statewide population goal for the animal, a number that has caused a number of contentious political fights in recent years. Since 1999, the state’s population goal has […]
Climate funding could suffer in the farm bill under GOP control of Congress
WASHINGTON — Republicans who may be taking control of Congress after the midterm elections have not been very specific about many policy goals—but the farm bill is an exception. Members of the GOP in the U.S. House and Senate are sending strong signals they want to strip climate funding from the massive legislation in 2023 […]
First ever convictions under invasive species laws hit crawfish company
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the first ever criminal convictions under the state’s invasive species law, Chapter NR 40. In this case, the species was imported red swamp crayfish, native to the southern U.S. Red swamp crayfish, however, are not native to northern states including Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. The investigation was […]
Protecting our inland lakes: The case for a new Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) was signed into law 50 years ago on Oct. 18 with a simple yet elegant purpose: Make the nation’s waters fishable and swimmable. Its successes are undeniable. Industrial pollution was vastly curtailed. Wastewater treated was effectively. Rivers once essentially open sewers now support vibrant fisheries. Lake Erie was brought back […]