Echo

Deep budget cuts in Macomb County compromise water safety

By |

(MI) The Michigan Messenger – But here in the state’s third most populous county, downsizing the budget means supersizing the risk of contaminated water, among other public health calamities. “We have an extremely serious revenue problem,” Thomas Kalkofen, director of the Macomb County Health Department told Michigan Messenger last week. Already, the county has shed all of its parks employees. Over several rounds of budget cutting this year, 79 full-time positions have been eliminated overall, including 27 layoffs, from a county workforce that currently counts 2,200 workers. More

Echo

Bury, baby, bury: A Capitol fight over grass clippings

By |

(MI) City Pulse – To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Never in the field of legislative conflict has so little been haggled over by so many.” Yet in the seemingly innocuous issue of how to use our grass clippings and leaves is tucked a profound debate on the environment – and who has the real clout in the Capitol today when it comes to green issues. In the ring of this boxing match are the Greater Lansing area’s own landfill company and the waste industry generally on one side, and environmental organizations and composting businesses on the other. More

Nearshore

NEMO’s new mission: Find toxic algae blooms

By |

By Mehak Bansil
Nov. 17, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. – If it looks like a fish and swims like a fish, then it must be a fish. Unless it’s a pseudo-fish named NEMO, designed to monitor water temperature, oxygen levels, invasive algae populations and pollutants. For example, a robofish will be able to navigate independently and transmit information about the location of toxic algae blooms.

“We chose to fit these fish with sensors for toxic algae blooms, but I think other researchers will use this technology in the future to monitor different aspects of water quality,” said Michigan State University zoology professor Elena Litchman.

Echo

Poison to be used against Asian carp

By |

(IL) UPI – An Illinois Department of Natural Resources official said poison will be added to a Chicago canal to stop Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan. John Rogner, the department’s assistant director, said by adding poison to nearly 6 miles of canal on the outskirts of Chicago, biologists hope to keep the invasive species at bay long enough to repair a new electric fish barrier, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Friday. More

Echo

Leasing water system could be a risky move for Chicago

By |

(IL) Chicago Tribune – Mayor Richard Daley says any part of city government is up for grabs if the price is right. But if he is tempted to dangle Chicago’s vast water system as his next lease deal, he might want to first consult Atlanta, which is still smarting from a botched experiment with privatizing a big-city water supply. Or the mayor could look someplace closer to home, like Bolingbrook, one of dozens of suburbs and downstate communities furious about steep rate increases imposed by a private water operator. More

Waste

Report: Michigan could create up to 13,000 recycling jobs

By |

(MI) MLive – Michigan could add as many as 13,000 new jobs if the state boosted its recycling rate average to equal rates in neighboring Great Lakes states, a new report concludes.  
The report from Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants finds that Michigan’s recycling rate of 20 percent lags behind its Great Lakes state neighbors, which average 30 percent. The state has 2,242 recycling and reuse industry establishments that collectively employ nearly 62,000 workers, the research firm said. More

Echo

Michigan communities seek federal help to target urban blight

By |

By Vince Bond Jr.
Nov. 14, 2009

LANSING, Mich. – Time could be running out for abandoned and dilapidated homes plaguing the property values of some Michigan neighborhoods. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MHSDA) is seeking $290 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its New Michigan Urban Neighborhood plan targeting the 12 largest municipalities, including Lansing, Detroit, Highland Park, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Others target areas are Pontiac, Wyandotte, Hamtramck, Battle Creek, Flint, Saginaw and Benton Harbor.

Echo

MONDAY MASHUP: Great Lakes Music Map

By |

By Haley Walker
Nov. 16, 2009
(Editors note: Make your case for a Great Lakes song in the comments and we’ll update this map.)
Becoming a successful musician didn’t require Timothy Monger to move to Los Angeles or New York. Brighton, a southeastern Michigan city of 6,000, is where he was first inspired. It is where he grew up and the place he stayed near. The dream of musical fame often pursued on the East and West coasts was not as great an influence as the Great Lakes – the Third Coast.

Land

Light rail plans would serve downtown Detroit and connect city to Ann Arbor, Traverse City

By |

By Adam DeLay
Nov. 15, 2009
LANSING, Mich. — Southeast Michigan officials are pushing for a commuter rail connecting Ann Arbor and Detroit, as well as a light rail running between downtown Detroit and the New Center area along Woodward Avenue. Kirk Steudle, director of the Department of Transportation, said the projects have the potential to offer better options to travelers in the area. “Gas prices hit $4 a gallon last year and will go up again,” he said.

Echo

Doyle signs law to limit phosphorus in dishwasher soap

By |

(WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Starting in July, consumers will find automatic-dishwasher detergents in stores with lower levels of phosphorus – and likely less cleaning power – as detergent makers respond to state bans on the substance. A law that limits phosphorus content to no more than 0.5% in automatic-dishwasher soap sold in Wisconsin was signed by Gov. Jim Doyle on Thursday. The law will take effect July 1 to give retailers time to sell their current inventory of soap and switch to phosphorus-free detergent. More