Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/echo/page/192/)
(MI) Detroit Free Press – Aggressive lobbying for and against two proposed coal-fired power plants in Michigan is to begin today with a rally at the state Capitol expected to draw up to 2,000 hard hat-wearing construction workers eager for work. The “Put Us to Work” rally at 3 p.m. today was organized to show support for the power plants sought for Rogers City and Hampton Township near Bay City. More
(MI) The Ann Arbor Chronicle – At a pre-game tailgate hosted by the UM Alumni Association, a team of Student Sustainability Initiative SSI) volunteers came up at least three coffee creamer containers shy of their goal: a “zero waste” tailgate. Those three coffee creamer containers came from Edward J. Vander Velde — from the 50th reunion class of 1959 — who kidded the volunteers who were staffing one of the waste stations inside Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, saying, “We’re still short of perfect!” More
(MI) AnnArbor.com – A proposal to convert Ann Arbor’s recycling facility so residents wouldn’t have to sort their recycled papers from their plastics is being sent over to the City Council next week. The specifics of the proposal won’t be available until council members get their first look at the Oct. 12 work session. The proposal could be considered at a council meeting as soon as Nov. 5.
(MI) Grand Rapids Press – The measure allows small structure-mounted turbines in all zoning districts, including residential, as permitted uses. It limits turbines mounted on the roofs of residences to no more than 10 feet higher than the roof’s peak and limits the noise levels to 55 decibels. Special land use approvals are needed for medium-size turbines in agricultural, industrial and public-use districts, and for large-scale turbines in heavy industrial areas. More
(MI) Grand Rapids Press – Federal stimulus money earmarked for energy efficiency will help Kent County’s second-largest city go more green while nudging finances nearer the black. Looking to curb spending as revenue declines, Wyoming will install light-emitting diode, or LED, technology in as many as 533 streetlights. More
(OH) Cleveland Plain Dealer – An overarching imperative for Ohio and its citizens leaps out from a bizarre appellate court ruling denying the state’s attorney general the right to represent Ohioans and depriving those same 11 million citizens of centuries-old public trust rights to waterways: Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray must work hard to overturn this ill-founded decision by the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals in Lake County. Fortunately, Cordray said on Friday that he intends to appeal this rather mystifying Aug. 21 ruling by this Thursday’s deadline. It’s a smart call. More
(IL) Chicago Tribune – Cook County officials are discussing an indefensible land deal that would permit the village of Hinsdale to clear forest preserve land for its own use. The proposed agreement would violate the law that protects preserves for future generations. If board members cut this deal with Hinsdale, expect many municipalities to attempt similar land grabs of their own. More
By Alice Rossignol
rossign1@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
Oct. 5, 2009
Editors note: This is part of a series relevant to the International Joint commission’s biennial meeting in Windsor on Wednesday and Thursday. An international commission that advises policymakers on Great Lakes environmental issues is questioning why the U.S. is making a fire retardant that Canada has banned. The use of the substance is part of a report that will be discussed at the International Joint Commission’s biennial meeting in Windsor, Ontario on Wednesday. The commission is responsible for upholding the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada.
By Jordan Travis
Great Lakes Echo
Oct. 4, 2009
LANSING – The bobcat hunting and trapping season in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will start three months later because of an apparent drop in the bobcat population. The UP season will be shortened from four months and a week to two months. The start date for the trapping season, originally Oct. 25, is now Dec.
Vote
The U.S./Canadian International Joint Commission meets Wednesday and Thursday in Windsor to discuss advice on Great Lakes environmental issues that it will give to those governments. That happens only once every two years. Six reports are on the commission’s agenda. Details are here. Which of these issues should be the top priority for Great Lakes policymakers and scientists?