By Nick Mordowanec
Dec. 9, 2009
LANSING, Mich. –Environmental groups in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have proposed a mining initiative to protect the state’s water supply.
But lawmakers representing the U.P. are opposing a ballot measure by environmental groups like the Save Our Water Committee and Save the Wild UP, arguing that sulfide mining would generate jobs.

(MI) Bay City Times – A wildlife poacher from Saginaw was nabbed and ticketed after a two-month investigation by officials from the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

(MI) The Detroit News - Residents along contaminated canals near 10 Mile had hoped for years that there was an end in sight to their environmental nightmare. But new test results of the waters there show the problems might be worsening.

(MI) AnnArbor.com - The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously agreed tonight to accept the Huron River and Impoundment Management Plan, a new blueprint for taking care of the Huron River – the primary source of drinking water for city residents.

The Echo staff is soliciting nominations for the top Great Lakes environmental news stories of 2009. Nominate or support nominations in the comments section below this post. Guidelines:

By HYONHEE SHIN
Dec. 8, 2009
LANSING, Mich. – Some Michigan lawmakers are seeking to protect streams and lakes by restricting phosphorus lawn fertilizer use.
Under a bill by Rep. Terry Brown, D-Pigeon, property owners wouldn’t be able to use lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus unless a soil test concludes the existing level of phosphorus is too low or they’re growing new turf.

By Rachael Gleason
Worried about where to charge your electric vehicle? Chicago has you covered, but you’re out of luck if you’re anywhere else in the Great Lakes.
This mashup of alternative refueling stations shows only a handful of electric stations throughout the region.
Ethanol stations are more popular — dozens dot the states west of Lake Michigan. All alternative refueling stations seem to center around the biggest cities in the Midwest.

(DC) The Washington Post – The poisoned fish began floating to the surface in the cold Illinois dawn, but as scientists and ecologists began hauling their lifeless catch to shore, they found only one carcass of the predator they targeted — the ravenous Asian carp.

(NY) New York Times – As the SuperFreakonomics chapter on global warming suggests, solutions that are initially viewed as repugnant sometimes gain acceptance over time. Consider, for example, that environmental groups have supported a “last-ditch effort” by Illinois environmental officials to dump a toxic chemical into a canal.

(MI) Bay City Times – Four Alma College students, including one from Saginaw Township, are attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference which begins today in Copenhagen, Denmark.