Assembly passes sweeping mining bill

Uniform erosion standards not uniformly welcomed

Published: May 16, 2013
Tags: Daniel LeMahieu, DNR, EPA, erosion, erosion control, phosphorous, runoff, storm water

Dane County is in danger of losing authority that for almost 11 years has let it tailor its erosion-control standards to protect resources such as lakes Mendota and Monona and trout streams.

SS Badger kicks off season, allowed to dump coal ash (UPDATE)

Published: May 6, 2013
Tags: coal ash, EPA, SS Badger

The SS Badger, the nation’s last operating coal-fired ferryboat, kicked off its sailing season Monday while awaiting word on a proposed deal with the government over releasing waste ash into Lake Michigan.

Utilities settle with EPA over air pollution

Published: April 23, 2013
Tags: Alliant Energy, Clean Air Act, coal, Dairyland Power Cooperative, EPA, Madison Gas & Electric, pollution, power, Sierra Club, We Energies, Wisconsin Power & Light, Wisconsin Public Service

Wisconsin utilities have agreed to spend more than $1 billion to clean up aging coal-fired power plants under a settlement with federal regulators announced Monday.

Environmentalists reach accord with Minn. refinery

Published: April 16, 2013
Tags: EPA, Flint Hills Resources, greenhouse gases, smog

Environmental groups and Flint Hills Resources announced an agreement Tuesday to cut greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming air pollution from the company’s planned upgrade at Minnesota’s largest oil refinery.

Resident takes first step toward Ryan Creek lawsuit

Published: April 15, 2013
Tags: Basil Ryan, EPA, MMSD, Ryan Creek interceptor, sewer

A Franklin resident’s claim against the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District for illegal taxation will go unanswered.

View from around the state: SS Badger will keep steaming

Published: April 2, 2013
Tags: EPA, SS Badger

There’s still plenty of life left in the SS Badger, the historic ferry that steams across Lake Michigan from Manitowoc to Ludington, Mich., from May to October each year.

EPA issues new ballast rules

Published: March 29, 2013
Tags: American Great Lakes Ports Association, ballast, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, National Research Council, Steve Fisher

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued new requirements for cleansing ballast water dumped from ships, which scientists believe has provided a pathway to U.S. waters for invasive species that damage ecosystems and cost the economy billions of dollars.

More than half of streams in ‘poor’ shape, EPA says

Published: March 26, 2013
Tags: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Streams

More than half of the country’s rivers and streams are in poor biological health, unable to support healthy populations of aquatic insects and other creatures, according to a new nationwide survey released Tuesday.

Deal requires ferry to stop ash dumping in 2 years (UPDATE)

Published: March 22, 2013
Tags: coal ash, EPA, Lake Michigan, Sierra Club, SS Badger

The nation’s last operating coal-fired ferryboat would stop dumping waste ash into Lake Michigan within two years under a deal with federal regulators announced Friday.