Good News! Tentative Agreement to Clean Up Lake Erie

ELPC and Lucas County, Ohio, have come to a tentative agreement with the U.S. EPA on our long-running case to clean up Lake Erie. A new consent decree will legally bind the U.S. EPA and the State of Ohio to prepare a restoration plan that will reduce the pollution fueling the lake’s summer algal blooms. More details will become public on October 29, but this is an exciting development.

This is the culmination of our persistent legal action in federal court. Even when Ohio governors Kasich and DeWine resisted or implemented weak regulation to clean up the lake from agricultural runoff pollution we did not relent. As a recent Toledo Blade editorial outlined, “Lake Erie has needed a champion and the plaintiffs who stuck to their guns, in this case, deserve the thanks of the region for their efforts. Now it is time for environmental regulators and communities to get behind the strategy they fought for in court. It’s time to save the lake.”

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News and Updates

CLEAN WATER

Coalition Calls for Tougher Action on Corporate Polluters in Lake Michigan

Twice within two weeks, pollution has emerged from U.S. Steel and spread in southern Lake Michigan, shutting down beaches in Indiana Dunes National Park and nearby towns. These are just the latest in a string of polluter mishaps that have tainted the lake and put clean water at risk. ELPC is in current litigation against Cleveland-Cliffs' Burns Harbor steel mill for polluting in Lake Michigan, and we joined a coalition of local groups in a new letter to the Indiana leaders calling for change. Lake Michigan is not a dumping ground. ELPC is holding polluters accountable.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Experts Testify Line 5 Tunnel Would Exacerbate Climate Change

ELPC and the Michigan Climate Action Network submitted written expert witness testimony to the Michigan Public Service Commission demonstrating the link between the construction of a new tunnel for Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac and climate change. It is time to shut down the line, to protect the Great Lakes and those who rely on them for safe clean drinking water, economic prosperity, and recreation.

CLEAN ENERGY

Planning for Illinois’ Clean Energy Future

Illinois’ landmark new energy law is an important step forward for clean energy, efficiency, equity, and jobs. The law includes the most comprehensive grid planning requirements in the nation. ELPC helped craft requirements to make sure that Illinois’ grid infrastructure supports its clean energy ambitions. Grid planning is critical to get energy where it needs to go while maintaining reliability, affordability, and transparency.

EVENT RECAP

Together Again:
ELPC 2021 Gala

For those of you who couldn’t make it (or just want to watch again), you can watch videos of our featured speakers CNN Senior Political Commentator David Axelrod and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, with a guest appearance by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.

CONVERSATIONS WE'RE FOLLOWING

Energy News Network: Report: Ohio and other states losing millions from rollbacks of energy efficiency standards
ELPC Blog: Climate Change and the Great Lakes with Dan Egan
Planet Detroit Op-Ed: Detroit ranks 15^th worst in the nation for asthma. Here’s why we need to change our transportation sector.
ELPC Blog: The Midwest Wants Cleaner Cars
Ohio Capital Journal: Energy efficiency bill gets bipartisan push
ELPC Blog: Will Electric School Buses Move into High Gear?
The Detroit News: Nuclear Waste Storage Clouds Future of Michigan's Palisades Power Plant
Student Transportation News: Student Transporters Determine Affordability of Electric School Buses
Pekin Chamber of Commerce: CityLink Hosts Unveiling Event of Three New Proterra Battery-Electric Buses
Commonwealth Magazine: Ida Renews Calls for Decentralizing Grid
ELPC Blog: Air Quality Monitoring in a Remote Work Era: Two Intern Perspectives

New Book: Tech to Table by Dick Munson

Entrepreneurs represent a new path in agriculture, one where disruptive technology helps people and the environment. Read about twenty-five of the most creative entrepreneurs advancing food systems solutions today. Get 20% off the book from Island Press with code MUNSON.

We're all in to protect the Midwest's environment.

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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► OCTOBER 2021 NEWSLETTER