Eco-Minute

There is growing concern over a proposed AI data center in Wisconsin Rapids in Wood County. Neighbors packed a public meeting about the project worried about environmental impacts like energy demand and water consumption.  New York-based property developer PNK Group is pushing to build the data center along the Wisconsin River where a paper mill […]

As Canadian oil giant Enbridge trenches and blasts its way across Wisconsin’s Northwoods to make way for its new Line 5 oil pipeline, they’ve hit a setback for the Michigan section of the pipeline. The Michigan Supreme Court has struck down permits for the company to tunnel under the straits of Mackinac. The Michigan Public […]

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is joining 18 other states to file a petition against the  current Trump Administration for rolling back climate safeguards put in place during the first Trump Administration. The bipartisan AIM ACT was signed into law in 2020. It phases out the use of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in commercial refrigeration equipment. […]

Wisconsin’s summers are getting smokier. According to a new analysis from Clean Wisconsin, the number of days that we breathe air polluted by wildfire smoke has risen over the past 15 years from one day per year to nine days. Exposure to wildfire smoke now accounts for an estimated 250 premature deaths in Wisconsin every […]

Lawsuits starting to emerge over AI data centers in Wisconsin. Legal nonprofit Midwest Environmental Advocates is suing the Department of Natural Resources saying the agency skipped the required environmental review for Port Washington’s AI data center amid pressure from its developers. And in an effort to protect strict new financial requirements for data center owners […]

Happy Plastic Free July! The global movement meant to help people reduce their plastic waste is starting to catch on in Wisconsin. The challenge – to go a whole month without single-use plastics. A few things you can do—buy laundry detergent in a box, carry a reusable water bottle, and keep a couple reusable grocery […]

Bad news for Lake Superior. Another invasive species is getting a foothold in our largest, most pristine Great Lake. Bloody Red Shrimp – tiny crustaceans that travel in swarms that look like reddish clouds in the water – have been found in the Duluth-Superior harbor. The shrimp multiply quickly and feed on zooplankton, disrupting the […]

Time is running out for Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson stewardship program, the long-running conservation effort that has helped preserve more than 750,000 acres across all of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Funding for the program ends on June 30th. This year, Wisconsin’s legislature declined to renew funding for Knowles-Nelson after 37 years of protecting Wisconsin’s treasured natural areas. New […]

Wisconsin’s largest power company, We Energies is joining forces with tech companies behind the Port Washington AI data center to challenge a recent order from the Public Service Commission. In April the Commission told We Energies that its new AI data center customers must meet strict credit and collateral requirements to ensure they can cover […]

Some Federal Funding could be coming to Wisconsin – to keep an old coal plant running. The 1970s-era Columbia Coal Plant was supposed to be shut back in 2022, but Alliant Energy never followed through. Now the plant is part of a $425 million dollar emergency order by the Trump Administration to keep coal burning. […]

The Trump Administration’s new budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—or NOAA—could spell disaster for our Great Lakes. Funding for research programs that work on everything from water quality to maritime safety and weather observations are zeroed out in the budget. The $1.3 billion in cuts to NOAA still must be approved by Congress. […]

Happy 75th birthday to Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas Program created in 1951—the first program of its kind in the country and the largest. There are nearly 700 natural sites cared for and protected through the program. Our very first state natural area was Parfrey’s Glen in the Baraboo Hills. How often do you think about […]

The EPA says it wants to toss out a rule that keeps coal power plants from releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of toxic metals into nearby waterways. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said the rule is so hard to comply with that it could cause coal plants to shut down, and that would deprive AI […]

The US House has voted to remove controversial provisions from the Farm Bill that would have weakened pesticide protections and given chemical companies legal immunity. The provisions sought to strip states of their authority to pass stronger protections against pesticides, allow pesticide applications near schools and playgrounds, and block people harmed by exposure from suing chemical […]

New research from Clean Wisconsin shows it’s not great to live next to an AI data center. Turns out air pollution from diesel generators on the sites can harm your health. The research shows the hyperscale Vantage data center in Port Washington could cause $960,000 to $1.29 million in annual public health costs statewide. Most of […]

Just when you thought there might be a lull in the push to build AI data centers in Wisconsin, another project has been announced – this time along the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin Rapids. Few details have been made public, but there will be a hearing at the city’s Planning Commission on May 4th. Residents […]

More details about a possible AI data center in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. The small Mississippi River town of Cassville is reportedly being eyed for what could be the biggest construction project ever in Grant County. County officials have refused to name the tech company behind the project, but say it’s a famous one. Some residents […]

A coalition of public health and environmental groups – including Clean Wisconsin – has filed a lawsuit challenging the EPA’s repeal of tighter standards that protect people from toxic air pollution. The standards limit the amount of mercury, lead, arsenic, and other toxic metals emitted from coal-fired power plants. Since EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics […]

The State of Wisconsin is joining health and environmental advocates across the country, including Clean Wisconsin, that are suing the EPA over its repeal of climate protections. The cases center on the EPA’s repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding, which found that climate pollution is a threat to public health and welfare. Since that finding, […]

Take a listen to the sound of an endangered species – maybe not happy that he’s being followed. That’s an American Marten – caught on video by a DNR biologist in Wisconsin’s north woods this month. That rare footage has now gone viral. The cute weasel-like creatures are endangered here because of habitat loss from […]

The DNR is investigating manure contamination in Trempealeau County. The agency got calls to its confidential warden hotline complaining about animal waste washing off nearby farm fields – and into local waterways. Officials collected dead fish, including brook trout. Farm operators are strongly discouraged from spreading animal waste on land during the winter when it […]

The Wisconsin Assembly passed a deal to release funding that helps address toxic PFAS contamination in communities across the state. The Legislature created the PFAS trust fund 32 months ago, but since then communities have waited and waited for our state government to create the programs through which the PFAS trust fund can be allocated. […]

A new draft of the Farm Bill would shield chemical companies from lawsuits over pesticides. The latest version of the bill released by House Republicans would prevent lawsuits from farmers and consumers harmed by pesticides. And it would take away state control over how and when a pesticide can be used. Wisconsinites are calling on […]

A proposal in Congress to allow 15% ethanol-or E15-in auto fuels year-round could increase water contamination in our state. More than a million acres of Wisconsin land is used to grow corn for ethanol, and increasing E15 use could mean even more land devoted to ethanol. Corn causes more nitrate contamination in Wisconsin waterways than […]