On July 25th, 2010, the Great Lakes region experienced one of the largest oil spills in Midwest history—and it was from a pipeline buried underneath the ground. Almost two years after the spill, the pressing question is whether laws governing oil pipelines protect the Great Lakes Basin and its communities from more spills. Read more
oil spill
Two Years Later, Dolphins Dying at Unprecedented Rates
Today marks two years since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 men and ultimately sending more than 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Since … Read more
All Eyes on the Senate
Last week, pelicans and other wildlife in the Gulf got some promising news when the House of Representatives passed an amendment dedicating 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from … Read more
Alaska Well Blowout Still Out of Control While Congress Wants to Drill in Polar Bear Country
Breaking news reports are coming in that an exploratory oil and gas well on Alaska’s North Slope has triggered a blowout that is still out of control. Meanwhile, Congress is … Read more
Three Ways to Show Your Love for the Gulf
Valentine’s Day is the day you show a little extra love for all the special people in your life. But what about those special places? The BP oil disaster sent … Read more
Tar Sands or Farm Lands? Keystone XL’s Threat To America’s Breadbasket
The Ogallala aquifer, which provides 30% of the water used for crop irrigation in the United States, is still threatened by plans to build the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Read more
From the Great Lakes to Coastal Louisiana: Climate Change Will Affect Everyone
I spent last week in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting. The Great Lakes Regional Center‘s Adaptation Program Manager Melinda Koslow and I traveled to the Big … Read more
Media Scrutinizes Modest Clean Energy Investments, Ignores Massive Polluter Tax Giveaways
Imagine if reporters spent even a fraction of the time highlighting America’s hugely wasteful dirty energy subsidies as they do trying to gin up “scandal” in clean energy. How would … Read more
Tar Sands Spell Big Trouble for Whooping Cranes
The recovery of the North American whooping crane is one of conservation’s most inspiring success stories. A century ago, there were thought to be between 500 and 1,400 of these … Read more
Crews Report Progress in Stopping Spill at Colorado Tar Sands Refinery
While they’re still working to pinpoint the source, workers have made progress in keeping an oil spill north of Denverfrom getting any worse: Federal officials say a trench dug to … Read more
