Environment
Judge rules for tribe in Line 5 suit, says Enbridge is trespassing and must pay damages
Short of an order to decommission the Line 5 pipeline, an Ojibwe tribe on the south shore of Lake Superior has secured a different legal victory in its federal lawsuit against Canadian pipeline company Enbridge. The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians has been locked in a legal battle with […]
U.S. House members raise doubts about Manchin environmental permitting deal
More than 50 U.S. House members are objecting to a push to revise federal environmental permitting requirements for energy projects — part of a deal Democratic leaders struck with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III to win passage of their climate, health and taxes bill that passed last month. The House members signed onto a letter […]
Environmental groups ask Army Corps of Engineers for review of Line 5 reroute
A group of environmental organizations have sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, calling on the agency to conduct an environmental review for the proposed new segment of Enbridge Line 5 in northern Wisconsin. Doing so, the groups argue, will provide an assessment which is independent from the Department of Natural Resources […]
The Inflation Reduction Act will create climate jobs for Wisconsin workers
Wisconsin is entering a boom cycle in renewable energy development. From utility-scale solar projects that will replace aging infrastructure to plans for the manufacturing of the needed component parts here, progress is now a question of “when?’”and “how?” instead of ”‘if?” Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law by President Joe Biden […]
Advocates unpack the details in new climate, health and tax law
In the two weeks since President Joe Biden signed a massive bill that incorporates health care, climate and tax measures into law, the legislation’s supporters have been working to convey its details to the public. The legislation, which the authors dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, passed Congress with votes from Democratic lawmakers only. Biden signed […]
Vilsack: America’s voluntary approach to agriculture is better than Europe’s mandates
BOONE, Iowa — The more than $1 billion the federal government is devoting to voluntary efforts to reduce agriculture’s adverse effects on the environment is a better long-term strategy than mandating new rules for farmers, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday. While state and federal officials in the United States have tended to […]
Cyclists, pedestrians and motorists clash over COVID street changes
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities including Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles installed dedicated bus lanes within a matter of months. To aid struggling restaurants, many cities eliminated parking spaces to allow curbside pickup zones for takeout and delivery. Communities closed off lanes or even whole streets to make space for pedestrian-only […]
Residents frustrated by continued delays in Dane County airport PFAS cleanup
Samuel Godfrey was spending one of the last afternoons of his summer fishing off the pier where Starkweather Creek dumps into Lake Monona at Olbrich Park in Madison. The 15-year-old had been there for hours when he finally hooked a pike. Godfrey released the fish right away. Having grown up fishing the waters in and […]
Ellsworth fish die-off reported, cause of Green Bay die off revealed
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating a fish kill which occurred in Isabelle Creek, in the Pierce County community of Ellsworth. Several species of fish were observed in the fish kill, including more than 600 dead trout. DNR staff have been onsite several times since Aug. 17. However, the investigation remains ongoing and […]
PFAS Council releases report on statewide progress toward clean water
The inter-agency council of Wisconsin state government working to respond to the prevalence of cancer-causing chemicals in the state’s water released its 2022 progress report on Thursday, which shows some progress has been made but the state is still working to improve its ability to track and find sources of contamination. The family of 5,000 […]
Evers announces new grant program to help owners of contaminated private wells
Gov. Tony Evers announced on Tuesday a new $10 million grant program to help people replace, reconstruct, treat or abandon private wells in an effort to improve access to clean drinking water across the state. The program, which is based on the previously existing Well Compensation Grant Program, is estimated to help address contamination in […]
Baldwin spotlights infrastructure law, climate bill on visit to Madison factory
Fresh from a marathon weekend in which Senate Democrats moved long-awaited budget legislation to address climate change across the finish line, Sen. Tammy Baldwin paid a visit Tuesday to the place where the rubber meets the road. Or the electrons meet the vehicle. At Franklin Electric, a manufacturing plant on the far southeastern edge of […]