Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI)

“Groups work to identify, save and reseed areas to help the culturally significant resource thrive as climate change portends more strains.”

“Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Friday he is pausing the state’s data center tax incentives starting in July amid a push to address concerns about electricity costs and water resources that have plagued the AI infrastructure build-out nationwide."

"A bill, newly passed by legislators, will expand the state’s capacity to enforce limits on health-harming emissions in overburdened communities."

"The DOE says the Schahfer plant is key for reliability, but repairs mean it’ll be offline for much of 2026. The grid is set to be just fine without it this summer."

"Michigan may be known as the Great Lakes state, but most of its residents have a river to thank for their hometown’s existence."

"Illinois lawmakers last week passed a new law establishing more robust requirements for monitoring per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — better known as PFAS “forever chemicals” — in wastewater discharges at major facilities across the state. The deciding 64-34 House vote came just days after the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed rescinding limits for select toxic PFAS compounds in drinking water — a decision that environmental advocates, and the Illinois EPA, immediately rebuffed."

"The Ohio Supreme Court overturned a permit that state officials previously granted to a massive, 6,000-acre industrial-scale solar farm and battery operation in Madison County."

"The state of Minnesota has filed a new lawsuit against Maplewood-based 3M, alleging that PFAS from the company’s manufacturing plant in Cottage Grove continue to contaminate groundwater and the Mississippi River."

"Michigan’s Department of Attorney General and several environmental justice groups presented oral arguments on Friday before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that emergency orders that kept the J.H. Campbell coal plant from retiring were illegal applications of federal law."