The “new” Environmental Protection Agency under Lisa Jackson has released a toxic tally of releases to air, land and water in Michigan and the rest of the United States.

Folks here care about this stuff because the region relies on the Great Lakes for fishing, recreation, drinking water, you name it. It’s part of our identity.And if you’ve ever stood and looked out into the expanse of Lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie or Superior, it just cheers you up.

The latest numbers aren’t as cheery. The TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) data show an overall decrease of 5 percent in releases from 2006 to 2007.

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