Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/current-state/page/17/)
Every Tuesday the Current State public affairs radio program on WKAR in East Lansing runs an environmental story in partnership with Great Lakes Echo. The stories also run on the Echo site and are archived here.
The dependent relationship between energy and water is important, but in a water-rich state like Michigan, it’s easy to overlook. Skip Pruss discusses the water-energy nexus and its potential impact on the future of the Great Lakes. Pruss is a Principal at 5 Lakes Energy and former Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Current State: Water-energy nexus in the Great Lakes Basin by Great Lakes Echo
A proposed bill making its way through the Michigan legislature aims to put tighter limits on the Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Commission. The DNR’s website says the agency promotes bio-diversity on state land by identifying, restoring and managing “those natural places or ecosystems in Michigan that, together, best represent the diversity of Michigan’s biological heritage.” Republican state Sen. Tom Casperson’s bill, SB 78, would prohibit the DNR from implementing its “Biodiversity Stewardship Area” program, which he claims would severely preclude human activity on the land. He says the measure is supported by sportsmen, businesses and recreational enthusiasts. To sort this out, Current State sat down with Senator Tom Casperson of Escanaba and Ann Woiwode, director of The Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter.
Associate Director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and editor of Great Lakes Echo, David Poulson, discusses the collaboration between Echo and Current State. This week’s segment features the 100- year study. It’s been a century since the International Joint Commission conducted a Great Lakes wide bacteriological study. Scientists are now looking to recreate the 1913 study. The 100 years study will assess how water quality in the Basin has changed over time. Lead researcher, Dr. Joan Rose, is the Nowlin Endowed Chair of Water Research, Co-Director of the Center for Water Sciences, and Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment at Michigan State University.
Scientists have conducted extensive research on the plastic-filled gyres of the ocean. This past summer, however, researchers decided to look inland for the first time and measure plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Some of the groups’ water samples had concentrations of plastic greater than those found anywhere else. The study has resulted in several other projects. Chemistry professor Dr. Sherri Mason discusses the plastic pollution in the basin.
Climate change is continuing to influence Michigan’s environment. Last March a sudden thaw and freeze devastated the state’s berry crops. While recently, record low water levels have forced the government to spend millions on dredging. Jeff Andresen, Michigan Climatologist and assistant professor of geography at Michigan State University discusses Michigan’s climate future.
The iconic Michigan steamship, the SS Badger, may lose its permit to dump spent coal into Lake Michigan. The Ludington company that owns and operates the Badger, Lake Michigan Carferry, expects to hear soon from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about its request to continue the practice. Hugh McDiarmid, communications director for the Michigan Environmental Council, discusses the impact of the SS Badger on the environment.
The Great Lakes’ record-low water levels are rightly receiving all of the attention now, but evidence is growing that Michigan’s fragile groundwater resources are quietly becoming a concern for the future. Robert Glennon, professor of law and public policy at the University of Arizona and author of “Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What to do About It,” knows Michigan well and shares his insights. Echo has reported on the consequences of drought on Great Lakes groundwater – which can also be seen on this map – and the challenge of measuring its effects. The need for better groundwater conservation continues to be a widely overlooked issue facing the Basin.
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron hit record low water levels this month. The receding water causes environmental and economic problems in the Great Lakes Basin. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has proposed a $21 million plan to dredge harbors. Patrick Doran, director of conservation for the Michigan Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and Jon Allan, director of the Office of the Great Lakes, discuss dredging and the future of the Great Lakes’ water levels.