July 2023 ENews
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This Month Across the Midwest
** ► JULY 2023 NEWSLETTER
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** Clean Energy Advocates Negotiate Banner Agreement in Michigan ([link removed])
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In what one clean energy expert called “one of the biggest regulatory wins I’ve ever seen,” ([link removed]) this week ELPC finalized negotations on a settlement with Detroit-based DTE Energy on behalf of its clients Vote Solar, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Ecology Center. The deal will close the polluting Monroe coal plant years ahead of the current plan and add nearly 3,800 megawatts of renewable energy to the grid by 2030.
As part of the settlement, DTE agreed to contribute $8 million to help implement home readiness, energy efficiency, distributed generation and energy storage programs for low-income communities. “This will help address two critical concerns of our clients,” said Environmental Law & Policy Center Associate Attorney Daniel Abrams. “First, that low-income Michigan families will be provided sustainable, enduring means to lower their energy bills. Second, that the clean energy revolution leaves no one behind.”
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** News & Updates
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** CLEAN WATER
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** New Report Analyzes Expansion of Factory Farms in Iowa’s Floodplains ([link removed])
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ELPC and the Iowa Environmental Council released a new report this month that details animal feeding operation construction and expansion in Iowa’s 100-year floodplain. In the report, IEC and ELPC call on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to follow state law and adopt an official floodplain map, while urging state leaders to pursue stronger protections.
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** ELPC Slams Ohio EPA’s Insufficient Plan to Clean Up Lake Erie ([link removed])
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After ELPC’s successful lawsuit to force stronger measures against toxic algal blooms, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency finally unveiled its mandatory cleanup plan. Unfortunately, it’s a disappointing one. The plan fails to set a target for dissolved reactive phosphorus, fails to assign pollution reduction allocations, and fails to include a meaningful implementation plan.
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** ELPC Stepping Up to Protect Midwest Wetlands ([link removed])
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The Supreme Court’s recent Sackett decision removes most wetlands from federal protections, leaving their fate up to states. ELPC is working with partners to strengthen Midwest state protections. At last month's Great Lakes Legal Symposium, we convened attorneys & thought leaders from Midwest & Canada to discuss the most effective approaches for protecting wetlands.
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** CLEAN ENERGY
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** Energy Justice is More Than Just Words in Minnesota ([link removed])
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In Xcel Energy’s recent rate case, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission sided with ELPC and our clients the Just Solar Coalition in finding that energy justice is relevant when setting a utility’s rates. A new blog by ELPC Staff Attorney Erica S. McConnell provides concrete, real-world positive impacts that Minnesota communities can expect as a result.
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** WATCH THIS
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** ELPC Thinks Webinar:
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** The Current State of Great Lakes Water Levels
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Dr. Drew Gronewold, Associate Professor for Environment & Sustainability at University of Michigan returns to discuss the Great Lakes water levels.
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** ELPC Celebrates 30 Years of Environmental Impact
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It has always been our mission to make sure all people have clean air to breathe, safe clean water to drink, and can live in communities without toxic threats.
Watch our video ([link removed]) to learn more about the work we've done over the years.
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** ACTION CENTER
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Submit a Public Comment to Protect Our Forests from Logging ([link removed])
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** NEWS ROUNDUP
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* ELPC Blog: ELPC Joins Northwest Indiana Residents Calling on Indiana to Reduce Smog ([link removed])
* Michigan Advance: Here’s What’s in the $24B Michigan Budget for Schools ([link removed])
* Great Lakes Now: A Chicago Community Surrounded by Industry Fights for a Cleaner Future ([link removed])
* ELPC Blog: Clean Up Coal Ash to Protect the Great Lakes ([link removed])
* Energy News Network: Ohio Utilities Could Resume Energy Efficiency Programs Under Bipartisan Bill ([link removed])
* Northwest Indiana Times: Battle Over Air Permit Renewal for Gary Lime Plant Continues ([link removed])
* Grist: New EPA Rules Tell Polluters in Great Lakes Communities to Clean Up Legacy Coal Waste ([link removed])
* ELPC Blog: Fighting Greenhouse Gases from Power Plants ([link removed])
* E&E News: Republicans Want to Cut Rural Energy Program They Once Loved ([link removed])
* ELPC Blog: At Risk: Citizen Suits and the Doctrine of Standing ([link removed])
* Investigate Midwest: Illinois Enacts Law Increasing Penalties for Exposing Humans to Pesticides ([link removed])
* Indiana Post Tribune: EPA Warns IDEM of ‘Environmental Justice Concerns’ Raised by Gary Lime Plant Renewal Permit ([link removed])
* The Cool Down: This State is Doing Something Wildly Creative With its Old Coal Power Plants: ‘A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity.” ([link removed])
* Northwest Indiana Times: IDEM Holds Public Meeting for Gary Lime Plant Seeking Renewal of Air Permit ([link removed])
** We're all in to protect the Midwest's environment.
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Founded in 1993, the Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest's leading environmental legal advocacy organization. We advocate, innovate, and litigate to protect the Midwest's environment from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains.
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