Waste
Land
Wisconsin court decides value of manure; insurer liable for ‘pollution’ claims
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Ironically the ruling that manure is not a contaminant or waste may mean that an insurer has to pay to fix or replace wells polluted by it.
Energy
Court OKs energy company’s power plant permits
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The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld state permits for DTE Energy Co.’s modifications of its coal-fired power plant on the Lake Erie shore in Monroe, despite objections by a major environmental group.
Echo
Realtor misled buyers of contaminated Lake Michigan condo, court says
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A couple who bought a South Haven condo built on contaminated land two blocks from Lake Michigan is entitled to about $470,000 in damages, according to the Court of Appeals.
The site of the house was formerly a factory that made coffins, gun stocks and pipe organs – and left behind chemicals.
Echo
Homeowners lose chemical contamination appeal
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Homeowners whose property was contaminated by materials from a now-defunct chemical plant in Michigan’s Gratiot County have lost their lawsuit against contractors and trucking companies that removed toxic sediments from the adjacent Pine River.
Echo
Here’s why the Great Lakes should care about a court decision affecting water in the southwest
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A Supreme Court decision involving a Texas/Oklahoma water conflict could affect the Great Lakes.
Echo
Limits to ballast rules fail in court; lawmakers debate similar action
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Attempts to limit state authority over ballast water rules fell flat last Friday, but the legal tug-of-war continues this week as lawmakers consider the nation’s environmental spending. Last week’s decision by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit supported states in regulating water used in balancing shipping vessels more strongly than federal rules. This week the U.S. House of Representatives votes on a spending bill that includes an amendment penalizing states with stronger protections by withholding Environmental Protection Agency funding of any kind. That means states like New York, which have strong ballast water rules, would lose Great Lakes restoration funding, according the Natural Resources Defense Council. Ballast water containing invasive species has had devastating impacts on the Great Lakes and inland waterway systems, said Thom Cmar, an attorney with the council’s Chicago office.
Echo
Crooks and cooking grease: Some dump it, others steal it
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It’s a crime in Great Lakes states to dump cooking grease.
It’s also foolish considering the value of leftover fat in the biofuels business.
Echo
Mixed reax to carp court case
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Within the Great Lakes, the industries that depend on their ecosystem is almost as varied as the organisms. And like predators competing for the same food, their interests aren’t always in sync. This became apparent in the wake of Monday’s refusal by the U.S. Supreme Court to immediately close the Chicago Locks. The closure was requested by the state of Michigan to prevent Asian carp from moving from the Mississippi River into Lake Michigan. It was supported by Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio as well as various environmental groups. The decision was hailed by the barge and tug industry.