Fresh, January 23, 2024: Proposed Bill Would Authorize $200 Million for Great Lakes Mapping Project

• A bipartisan bill proposed by Michigan state representatives would authorize $200 million to conduct high-resolution mapping of lake beds in the Great Lakes.
• Amidst an icy winter, the U.S. Coast Guard needs more than $3 billion to maintain icebreaking services on the Great Lakes. 
• In Minnesota, a 30-year report on the Upper Mississippi River shows both long-term progress and recent pollution concerns.
• The EPA will soon decide if a toxic channel on Chicago’s Southwest Side should be cleaned up, and who would be responsible.

A bill introduced in the Indiana General Assembly seeks to shrink wetland protections, while another would offer tax breaks to help preserve them.

“We want people to be encouraged to preserve these mature wetlands. A mature wetland even of a small size will do more good cleaning the water, keeping it clean, making things better for all of us.” — Indiana State Senator Sue Glick.

Two competing bills are working their way through the Indiana state legislature this month — one which seeks to reduce wetland protections, and another that incentivizes them. 

House Bill 1383 would change the way wetlands are classified, dropping many ecosystems out of the state’s most-protected Class 3 status. The proposed legislation comes on the heels of a 2021 bill, which had already made more wetland ecosystems vulnerable to development and pollution. 

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 246 would give the Indiana Department of Natural Resources the ability to classify certain lands as “wildlands,” and offer both land developers and homeowners tax incentives to keep such habitat intact. 

According to Indiana Public Radio: “Both bills passed committee. The House bill now moves to the full House for consideration, while the Senate bill will have to go through the Appropriations Committee first.”

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal: Within the next month, the EPA is expected to decide if a “foul-smelling” canal and channel, contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals, will be cleaned up — and who would be responsible, the Chicago Sun Times reports. The waterway is located in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on the city’s Southwest Side. Considered an environmental justice neighborhood, residents there have “been historically burdened with excess pollution and other social stresses” for decades. Residents and petitioners who have been pleading for action for years say the blame lies with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, who helped create the channel more than a century ago and are responsible for treating sewer wastewater and stormwater. The district denies responsibility, and says they have also been advocating for the area’s cleanup for years.

Upcoming Events

January 25 — 2024 Ontario Phragmites Working Group Meeting — learn more

January 29-30 — The Stewardship Network Conference — learn more

January 30 — Introduction to Lakes Online — learn more

Other News

Ontario’s Grasslands: A push to restore grasslands — lost to development and farming — in southern Ontario is gaining momentum, as residents learn of the habitat’s benefits for water, wildlife, and people, the Narwhal reports. 

Michigan Mollusks: For the first time ever, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has hired a scientist specializing in mussels and clams, and launched a two-year research project to collect data about mollusks and freshwater throughout the state, Michigan Radio reports.