This Month Across the Midwest
May 2024 Newsletter

ELPC, Lucas County, and City of Toledo Sue U.S. EPA to Clean Up Lake Erie:
This week, ELPC and partners filed a new lawsuit in federal court asking to set aside the U.S. EPA's approval of the State of Ohio’s inadequate clean-up plan for Lake Erie and prepare a new one that will comply with the Clean Water Act.

“This is the fourth lawsuit the Environmental Law & Policy Center has had to file in federal court to compel U.S. EPA and the State of Ohio to take the necessary and legally required steps to clean up Lake Erie. Ohio’s Maumee River TMDL, or pollution diet, which U.S. EPA approved last fall, does not come close to complying with the Clean Water Act, and it will not remediate the harmful algal blooms that keep impairing Lake Erie year after year. So we are back in court – again – to hold U.S. EPA accountable for their legal obligations, to ensure that the TMDL does what it’s supposed to: clean up the Lake.”

READ MORE: [[link removed]]

ELPC & Coalition Step Up to Fix Chicagoland’s Public Transit:
ELPC joined our partners at Union Station this week to launch the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, which will implement long-overdue funding, service, and governance reforms. We cannot meet our climate goals without a robust, interconnected, and reliable transit system that inspires more people to leave their cars at home. [[link removed]]

Iowa Environmental Groups Petition EPA to Protect Water from CAFOs:
“No Iowan should have to worry that their drinking water is contaminated with agricultural pollution,” said ELPC Senior Attorney Josh Mandelbaum. “The state’s new rules do not even begin to fix the problem.” [[link removed]]

Proposed Farm Bill Would Preserve & Empower the Midwest:
The 2024 Farm Bill platform, released this week, includes improvements for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a re-establishment of the Driftless Area Land Conservation Initiative (DALCI), and protections for the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois. This is a good step forward for ELPC priorities, but there is hard work ahead to get this passed. [[link removed]]

Wisconsin Court Reverses Family’s Freedom to Fund Solar
A new ruling in Dane County marks a setback for Wisconsin homeowners seeking affordable clean energy. The court overturned a decision that allowed a Stevens Point family to install rooftop solar panels via third-party ownership financing. ELPC will review the ruling and consider next steps to ensure Wisconsin families have the freedom to fund solar. [[link removed]]

ELPC Thinks Webinar: The State of the Great Lakes' Water Levels with Dr. Drew Gronewold
Thursday, May 9, 2024 @ 1:00 PM Central Time
Register Now: [[link removed]]

ELPC's 2024 Annual Gala: Celebrating 31 Years of Protecting the Midwest Environment
Friday, May 31, 2024 @ 5:30 PM Central Time
Offshore Rooftop, Navy Pier, Chicago
Get Tickets: [[link removed]]


ELPC
35 E Wacker Dr 1600
Chicago, IL 60601
United States
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