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"Ohio Utility Corruption Defendants To SCOTUS: Bribes Are Free Speech" [1]

"The only two individuals who have stood trial for their role in the largest utility corruption scandal in Ohio’s history have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review their cases and reverse their convictions."

Economy & Business [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: Canary Media [10], 01/09/2026
  • Read more about "Ohio Utility Corruption Defendants To SCOTUS: Bribes Are Free Speech" [1]

Lansing Could Get A "Bubble Barrier" To Clean Grand River Plastic Pollution [11]

"Researchers at Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University are collaborating to find out if a “bubble barrier” would effectively collect trash in the Grand River."

Fish & Fisheries [12]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: WKAR [15], 01/07/2026
  • Read more about Lansing Could Get A "Bubble Barrier" To Clean Grand River Plastic Pollution [11]

"Ohio’s Largest Utility Pushes To Slash Rooftop Solar Compensation" [16]

"The state’s Public Utilities Commission will decide this year whether to keep its solar net-metering rules in place or to dilute them, per AEP Ohio’s request."

Consumer [17]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: Canary Media [18], 01/07/2026
  • Read more about "Ohio’s Largest Utility Pushes To Slash Rooftop Solar Compensation" [16]

"Michigan’s Other Water Crisis: PFAS’s Prevalence in Private Wells" [19]

"Ahead of the curve when it comes to testing city water for PFAS, Michigan has met its match with the state’s over one million private wells, urging residents to get their water tested."

Chemicals [20]
Environmental Health [4]
People & Population [21]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Public [7]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: Inside Climate News [22], 01/05/2026
  • Read more about "Michigan’s Other Water Crisis: PFAS’s Prevalence in Private Wells" [19]

Federal Judge Blocks Whitmer From Shutting Down Pipeline Under Great Lakes [23]

"A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ‘s attempt to shut down an aging oil pipeline running beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, finding that only the federal government can regulate interstate pipeline safety."

Disasters [24]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Infrastructure [25]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Canada [26]
Source: AP [27], 12/19/2025
  • Read more about Federal Judge Blocks Whitmer From Shutting Down Pipeline Under Great Lakes [23]

A Town Derailed, a Trust Obtained [28]

The devastating 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train derailment left a legacy of illness and a town torn by competing understandings of the contamination’s aftereffects. A yearlong reporting initiative with photojournalist Rebecca Kiger and Time magazine writer Alejandro de la Garza worked to gain the community’s confidence and tell its story. Their prize-winning feature, in the latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Inside Story [29]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [30]
Chemicals [20]
Disasters [24]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [31]
Health [32]
Journalism & Media [33]
People & Population [21]
Pollution [13]
Science [34]
Transportation [35]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Visibility: 
Public [7]
  • Read more about A Town Derailed, a Trust Obtained [28]

"FirstEnergy Bribery Scheme Sank Lake Erie Offshore Wind, Lawsuit Says" [36]

"The corruption that led to Ohio’s infamous HB 6 also torpedoed what would have been the Great Lakes’ first wind farm, the suit alleges. FirstEnergy is pushing back."

Climate Change [37]
Economy & Business [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Water & Oceans [14]
Public [7]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: Canary Media [38], 12/15/2025
  • Read more about "FirstEnergy Bribery Scheme Sank Lake Erie Offshore Wind, Lawsuit Says" [36]

Pesticide Drift Catches Schools Off Guard. Lawmakers Want Spraying Notice [39]

"More than 700 Illinois schools are within a quarter-mile of crop fields, yet state law doesn’t require pesticide applicators to notify them before spraying. Advocates say a new notification proposal would give educators and park staff time to move children indoors and reduce exposure."

Agriculture [40]
Chemicals [20]
Consumer [17]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [31]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [6]
People & Population [21]
Pollution [13]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: Investgate Midwest [41], 12/08/2025
  • Read more about Pesticide Drift Catches Schools Off Guard. Lawmakers Want Spraying Notice [39]

Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026 [42]

Explore our 10th annual Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, as we scour the beat to identify 15 top stories to put on your radar for 2026. Our updated format for the special report provides a quick read and a broad scope — with insights on climate change and environmental justice, bird and insect declines, data centers and deep sea mining, deregulation and PFAS and much more. Get started here [42].

SEJ Publication Types: 
SEJ News [43]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [44]
Agriculture [40]
Air [30]
Biodiversity [45]
Chemicals [20]
Climate Change [37]
Disasters [24]
Economy & Business [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [31]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [46]
Fish & Fisheries [12]
Forests [47]
Government [48]
Health [32]
Infrastructure [25]
Journalism & Media [33]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Military [49]
Natural Resources [50]
Policy [51]
Pollution [13]
Science [34]
Technology [52]
Waste [53]
Water & Oceans [14]
Wildlife [54]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [8]
Alaska and Hawaii [55]
California [56]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [57]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [58]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [59]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [60]
Northwest (OR WA) [61]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [62]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [63]
International [64]
Visibility: 
Public [7]
  • Read more about Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026 [42]

"After Ohio’s Landmark Decisions On HB 6 Utility Scandal, What’s Next?" [65]

"In landmark rulings last month, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ordered FirstEnergy’s three regulated companies to pay roughly $250 million for violations linked to the state’s largest-ever utility corruption scandal. More than $186 million of that will be refunded or credited to consumers."

Climate Change [37]
Consumer [17]
Economy & Business [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Infrastructure [25]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [66]
People & Population [21]
Public [7]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [9]
Source: Canary Media [67], 12/04/2025
  • Read more about "After Ohio’s Landmark Decisions On HB 6 Utility Scandal, What’s Next?" [65]

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Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=1

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/ohio-utility-corruption-defendants-scotus-bribes-are-free-speech [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [7] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [8] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [9] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [10] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/ohio-utility-corruption-defendants-appeal-scotus [11] https://www.sej.org/headlines/lansing-could-get-bubble-barrier-clean-grand-river-plastic-pollution [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [15] https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2026-01-05/lansing-could-get-a-bubble-barrier-to-clean-grand-river-plastic-pollution-the-first-in-the-u-s [16] https://www.sej.org/headlines/ohio-s-largest-utility-pushes-slash-rooftop-solar-compensation [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [18] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/ohio-utility-slash-rooftop-solar-compensation [19] https://www.sej.org/headlines/michigan-s-other-water-crisis-pfas-s-prevalence-private-wells [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [22] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30122025/michigan-pfas-private-wells/ [23] https://www.sej.org/headlines/federal-judge-blocks-whitmer-shutting-down-pipeline-under-great-lakes [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [26] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [27] https://apnews.com/article/enbridge-pipeline-tunnel-whitmer-lawsuit-trump-7b0bfc8858f4dfdefb029a201eae1b79 [28] https://www.sej.org/publications/inside-story/town-derailed-trust-obtained [29] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/inside-story [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/firstenergy-bribery-scheme-sank-lake-erie-offshore-wind-lawsuit-says [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [38] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/firstenergy-bribery-lawsuit-icebreaker-lake-erie [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pesticide-drift-catches-schools-guard-lawmakers-want-spraying-notice [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [41] https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/12/03/pesticide-drift-is-catching-schools-off-guard-lawmakers-want-to-require-notice-before-spraying/ [42] https://www.sej.org/publications/sej-news/top-environment-and-energy-topics-watch-2026 [43] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/sej-news [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/military [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [55] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii [56] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [57] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [58] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [59] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [60] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [61] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [62] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [63] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [64] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [65] https://www.sej.org/headlines/after-ohio-s-landmark-decisions-hb-6-utility-scandal-what-s-next [66] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/nuclear-power/radiation [67] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/ohio-puco-fine-firstenergy-hb6-scandal [68] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=2 [69] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=3 [70] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=4 [71] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=5 [72] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=6 [73] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=7 [74] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=8 [75] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=137