THE MUDPUPPY

Environmental News, Issues and Opinion for Michigan and The Great Lakes

A $3 million loan to the city of Clare is part of $31.5 million made available to six Michigan communities to improve their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The funds, from the federal stimulus package, were announced by U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, both Michigan Democrats. The communities will receive a total of $22,852,000 in loans and... Full story »

The Coal Wars show no signs of slowing down in Michigan. Environmental, watchdog and citzen groups launched a statewide petition this week calling on David Joos, the CEO of Consumers Energy, to drop the utility's plans for a new coal plant in Bay County. The groups call it "a job killer and a bad investment for stockholders, ratepayers and... Full story »

After years of warnings, and haphazard controls, it looks like the Asian carp has probably made it to the Great Lakes. Water samples taken by the University of Notre Dame, in an area between electric barriers and Lake Michigan, have tested positive for the invasive, jaw-breaking fish, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A multi-agency rapid response team is... Full story »

Last month, there was news that a deal had been struck to allow 13 Great Lakes ships, most of which operate on the Saginaw River, to be exempted from new clean fuel rules. Shipping officials said the compromise saved Saginaw River shipping. Critics complained that the deal will allow older ships to keep polluting. Well, the U.S. Environmental Protection... Full story »

A female immature bald eagle took flight again at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge this morning, after being nursed back to health over the last few months. The eagle was found in early September at the Saginaw County refuge by volunteer Wendy Baker of Midland, an associate biology professor at Delta College. The bird had hatched in March, and... Full story »

The landscape of Bay County’s Merritt Township could change drastically in less than two years. That’s what worries Supervisor Dave Schabel. A Florida company is eyeing Merritt and three townships in Tuscola County for development of a 66-turbine commercial wind park. The company, NextEra Energy Resources, hopes to install about 100 megawatts of wind power in the Bay-Tuscola county... Full story »

Results from a second round of samples collected from the Midland, Saginaw and Bay City water supplies show "no dioxin or furan contamination," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials say. The agency's Region 5 office in Chicago rejected a round of unusable samples in early October due to laboratory contamination. "EPA and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have strong programs... Full story »

The state Department of Environmental Quality's Water Bureau has five major goals for protecting Michigan's water resources. They're called the Measures of Success, and are outlined in an (unsearchable, scanned, .pdf) report issued today: For each goal, the agency has identified "measurable outcomes" to determine whether officials are meeting the goals. The DEQ uses measurements of Excellent, Very Good,... Full story »

I know what you're thinking. This must be a joke. Nope. Thursday is World Toilet Day. But it's not a day to celebrate Saginaw River and Bay pollution, or sewer overflows. Or even runoff from cities and farms. According to an international charity called WaterAid, Thursday is a day "to celebrate the humble, yet vitally important, toilet and to... Full story »

Former vice president and ongoing climate crusader Al Gore has a new book out, called "Our Choice." He's been hitting the talk shows, including "The Tonight Show" and "Larry King Live" to talk about his book, and the climate change solutions it discusses. Gore is a lightning rod for controversy, and praise, depending on where you fall. Remember, global... Full story »

This November, NBC is going green. Many of its programs, including the comedy "The Office," will sport green themes. On Thursday's episode, Dwight takes the idea of recycling to the extreme, appearing as a half-man, half-robot (???) called Recyclops. Do you have one of these people in your office? The greenie? The one who encourages others to recycle or... Full story »

The U.S. government will begin taking proposals on Friday, Nov. 20, for funding from a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Those interested, like a group of Saginaw Bay leaders, will have two months to submit a plan, according to HealthyLakes.org, which helped push the initiative through Congress. The organization, known as The Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition,... Full story »

A Florida company is eyeing Bay and Tuscola counties for development of a 66-turbine commercial wind park. The company, NextEra Energy Resources, hopes to install about 100 megawatts of wind power in the Bay-Tuscola county area, said Mary Wells, a spokeswoman in Pennsylvania. The project calls for 1.5-megawatt turbines, similar to those already installed at two sites in the... Full story »

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Central Michigan University, officials said today. Kennedy has been a strong proponent of creating a green economy to solve economic and environmental problems. The talk, in Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium, is being presented by the CMU Speaker Series and co-sponsored by the CMU President's Office and Provost's Office.... Full story »