• Michigan’s Senate Appropriations Committee declined to vote on a $50 million state grant for a proposed copper mine in the western Upper Peninsula.
• Environmental groups are urging the Wisconsin state government to use its $4 billion surplus by investing $1 billion into water infrastructure over the next two years.
• After a recent land acquisition in southwest Indiana, the state DNR will establish a new fish and wildlife area that will double as a flood and military-activity buffer for the community.
• Nearly 4,000 miles of rivers in Minnesota and Wisconsin may be designated as “critical habitat” for endangered freshwater mussels in an effort to support their recovery.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has had its right to inspect soil and water samples upheld in a federal appeals court, following a challenge from a contracting company.

“EGLE’s ability to conduct environmental inspections under state court orders is vital to holding bad actors accountable and protecting Michigan’s wetlands and natural resources.” — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Just over four years ago, a company named P&P Contracting Services, Inc. bought nearly 16 acres of regulated wetlands in Bay County, Michigan. Not long after this acquisition, the land’s surface waters were dredged and drained, replaced with five acres of sugar beet production waste. After collecting soil and water samples of this area — without a warrant, P&P alleged — EGLE barred the company from “taking further illegal action on the property” in an effort to safeguard the area’s freshwater resources, the Michigan Advance reports.

After the dispute was taken to a federal court of appeals, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel ruled that the inspection occurred lawfully, under a valid court order. Now, a second case — “seeking to hold the defendants accountable under the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act and restore the wetlands to their previous condition” — is pending.

Copperwood Project: Before Michigan’s state Senate adjourned for the year, the appropriations committee approved more than $240 million in grants for entities such as Dow Chemical, the University of Michigan, and Detroit Diesel, Fox 2 Detroit reports. A notable omission however was the Copperwood project — a proposed 505-acre copper mine from Highland Copper on the shores of Lake Superior, estimated to create 380 permanent jobs and bolster the region’s economy. The Michigan Strategic Fund Board last year approved a $50 million state grant for the project, though the Senate committee did not bring the dispersal of these funds to a vote in its last session before the holidays. “The Senate will act when they choose to act…from our perspective, it’s just a matter of time, stepping into the new year and continuing to educate the Senate,” Highland Copper CEO Barry O’Shea told the Michigan Advance. Because the company is investing $425 million into the mine, O’Shea also said receiving the grant is not “do or die.” 

Upcoming Events

February 18-20 — Annual Invasive Species Forum — learn more and register

February 19-21 — Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting — learn more

Other News

State of the Great Lakes: Michigan has released the annual State of the Great Lakes report, which features a lake-by-lake ecological summary and highlights 15 stories of environmental challenges and successes.

Western Pennsylvania’s Mussels: Researchers have detected elevated levels of radium — a radioactive element — in the Allegheny River watershed’s freshwater mussels. The contaminants are likely residuals from nearby, historic oil and gas production discharge, Inside Climate News reports.