Environment
USDA’s climate grants for farms and forests run into Republican buzzsaw
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is spending more than $3 billion to cultivate more American farmers and forest landowners as partners to mitigate climate change — even while some Republicans on Capitol Hill try to stop the program entirely. The administration launched a new farm program, Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, this year. It is […]
DNR releases revised wolf management plan
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released a new wolf management plan on Tuesday that has been in development since early 2021. The plan, which will be taken up by the Natural Resources Board on Oct. 25, aims to “ensure a healthy and sustainable wolf population that fulfills the numerous ecological, cultural, and recreational benefits […]
Federal regulators approve new rules to ease power connection backlogs
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday finalized long-awaited new rules intended to reform how power generation projects get connected to the electric grid, seen as a major step in smoothing the path for thousands of mostly renewable power projects currently waiting to plug in. “This rule will ensure that our country’s vast generation resources […]
As extreme heat sweeps the U.S., Biden warns that states must act to protect workers
With many parts of the country gripped by extreme heat, President Joe Biden said Thursday his administration would target states that don’t offer workers heat protections and would direct millions of dollars to water projects and improved weather forecasting. In a live address, with the mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio joining by video, Biden […]
Evers, Kaul criticize 3M’s proposed settlement in PFAS contamination lawsuit
Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a bipartisan group of officials from more than 20 states to criticize a proposed $10 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit against the corporate giant 3M for contaminating American’s drinking water supply with harmful chemicals known as “forever chemicals.” Kaul and 21 other attorneys general […]
Democrats push more resilient, lower-carbon infrastructure at U.S. Senate climate hearing
The changing climate is hurting infrastructure and the national economy, members of a U.S. Senate panel and experts said Wednesday. Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee agreed at a Wednesday hearing on the need for more resilient infrastructure that could withstand the pressures of a changing climate. They also agreed speeding […]
Great Lakes are once again a hot destination for cruise ships
DULUTH, Minn. — The Viking Polaris sliced through the dawn June fog, entering the harbor without fanfare. No horn blasts to this Midwestern port city’s landmark lift bridge. Onboard, all but a handful of cabins were dark as the 666-foot cruise ship ended its maiden Great Lakes voyage. Cruise ships, which once thrived on these […]
Workers lack protections when wildfire smoke makes the air dangerous
Millions of American workers have breathed in dangerous levels of air pollution this year as smoke from Canada’s record wildfire season blankets cities across the Northeast. Now experts are calling on federal regulators to adopt standards protecting outdoor workers from worsening air quality, potentially modeled after the few states that have such standards, including California […]
CAFO owners suing to end DNR permits have spilled more than 26,000 gallons of manure
The factory farm-owning board members of two dairy industry groups suing to exempt themselves from the Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) permit requirements for polluters have been responsible for more than a dozen manure spills, resulting in more than 26,000 gallons of spilled manure, since 2006, DNR records show. In May, the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance […]
FEMA disaster relief fund faces August shortfall as feds scramble to find cash
WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund is on track to run out of money as soon as next month, though the agency’s administrator told Congress on Thursday that she’s working with the White House to find a solution. “Our current projections on the disaster relief fund is that we will go […]
Evers’ budget veto gives DNR ability to use unspent bonding authority under stewardship program
Gov. Tony Evers used his partial veto power to give the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) access to roughly $20 million in unused borrowing authority through the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. Because of the Legislature’s Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee’s (JFC) regular delays and denials of projects through the program — meant to fund land acquisitions […]
Waushara County wildfire that covered 830 acres is part of a bigger picture
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that an 830-acre wildfire has been contained in Waushara County, southeast of Coloma. The fire claimed three primary structures and 17 secondary structures, and was caused by the burning of debris. Satellite and infrared technology were used to determine the size of the blaze. The fire burned […]