Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI)

A Toxic Landfill Was on the Brink of Expanding. Residents Fought Back and Won

"A decades-long battle to transform a Southeast Chicago lakefront property into a public park is starting to bear fruit. But where the new toxic sludge will go has yet to be determined."

Source: Inside Climate News, 08/21/2025

"This Class Of Toxic Pesticides Is Now Prevalent In Michigan Waters"

"A commercially valuable but unpronounceable toxicant with multiple chemical variations is being increasingly found at harmful levels in Michigan waters. Sound familiar? It’s not PFAS or PCBs this time. Now, it’s neonicotinoids, or “neonics” — a type of synthetic pesticide that’s widely used on corn and soybeans."

Source: MLive, 08/20/2025

Wisc. Communities Affected By PFAS Await Action On $125 Million Trust Fund

"Around the state, several communities with "forever chemical" contamination have been counting on the Legislature passing a bill to help them, but as the summer stretches on, many advocates are worried that lawmakers will fail to pass yet another proposal."

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 08/14/2025

"Judge Stops Hazardous Waste Shipments To Michigan Landfill From Five States"

"A judge has stopped government contractors in five states from sending hazardous waste to a Michigan landfill after a year of legal challenges by Detroit-area communities concerned about possible environmental impacts."

Source: AP, 08/08/2025

Federal Judge Orders Chemours To Immediately Stop Polluting Ohio River

"A federal judge ordered the Chemours Chemical Company on Thursday to immediately stop discharging unlawful levels of cancer-causing chemicals into the Ohio River from the company’s Washington Works plant."

Source: Mountain State Spotlight, 08/08/2025

"New Data Center Proposals Would ‘Kill’ Michigan’s Strong New Climate Laws"

"New Michigan data center plans are on the verge of triggering an “offramp” in the state’s nation-leading climate laws that would effectively halt the shift to renewables less than two years after the plans were approved."

Source: Inside Climate News, 08/05/2025

Coastal Flooding Challenges Cities Around the U.S.

The United States has nearly 100,000 miles of coastline and much of it is at risk of flooding. But what that inundation looks like varies widely from place to place. From storm surges to land subsidence, the latest Backgrounder details the different types of flooding and the threats they pose to coastal communities, especially sea level cities.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

"As a Heat Wave Roiled Illinois, People Incarcerated Suffered The Most"

"As heat grips Illinois this summer, one group is more vulnerable to extreme heat than any other: Those incarcerated inside the state’s decaying prisons and jails."

Source: Inside Climate News, 07/29/2025

PFAS Chemicals Are Contaminating Great Lakes Drinking Water

"There has been evidence for a few years that levels in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence were higher than the national average, but not high enough to cause immediate alarm. But what is considered safe is evolving, as research increasingly links forever chemicals to an array of potential health risks, such as cancer and reproductive issues."

Source: CBC, 07/25/2025

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI)