Eco-Minute

The website climate.gov is no more. The site that served as a trusted resource for federal research on climate change has been officially shut down a month after its staff was fired by the Trump Administration. When it was online, climate.gov received hundreds of thousands of visitors every month. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says […]

Tue Jul 1, 2025

1:00

Environmental groups say the Midwest grid operator, MISO, is pushing an emergency energy plan that discriminates against wind and solar, the two cheapest ways to produce energy in our state. The plan favors fast-tracking construction of gas-burning power plants at the expense of clean energy projects. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected a similar plan […]

Tue Jun 24, 2025

1:00

The Trump Administration’s order to keep a Michigan coal plant running could mean higher energy bills in Wisconsin. Just days before the aging plant was set to retire, the Department of Energy ordered it to stay open, citing emergency wartime powers. Staff were already gone and there was no coal on site. The utility that […]

Tue Jun 17, 2025

1:00

Warm weather is finally here and so is wildfire smoke from Canada. Forecasters say we can expect air quality warnings to come and go and come again this month with no end in sight as fires blaze out of control across central and western Canada. Environmental advocates say the hazardous smoke blanketing our state—just when […]

Tue Jun 10, 2025

1:00

June is pollinator month, and some Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced a package of bills to protect our bees, butterflies and other insects. The bills would prevent the DNR from using a class of pesticides of called neonicotinoids which are known to harm pollinators. They would also prevent retailers from labeling plants as pollinator-friendly if they’ve […]

Tue Jun 3, 2025

1:00

Dismantling the IRA and other federal clean energy incentives will add half a gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. That’s according to modeling from Princeton University. House Republicans passed aggressive cuts to clean energy incentives in their latest budget. Slowing down energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy progresswill also cause higher energy costs for most families and […]

Tue May 27, 2025

1:00

Sen. Tammy Baldwin presses EPA head Lee Zeldin on Great Lakes funding at a hearing on Capitol Hill. The exchange came just one week after Clean Wisconsin, the Healing Our Waters Coalition, and Alliance for the Great Lakes met with Baldwin to stress the importance of fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Zeldin ended […]

Tue May 20, 2025

1:00

A major program that protects drinking water is on the chopping block in Congress. Lawmakers are considering slashing $2.4 billion dollars from the State Revolving Fund. The program helps Wisconsin replace lead pipes and filter toxic contamination out of drinking water supplies. Our state will lose $54 million next year if funding gets cut. Parts […]

Tue May 13, 2025

1:00

Wisconsin’s general fishing season opens May 3rd. With more than 15,000 lakes, 42,000 miles of streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River, there are plenty of great places cast your line. But you might want to check the DNR’s fish consumption advisories before you head out. […]

Tue Apr 29, 2025

1:00

Rules that protect Wisconsinites from seven so-called “super toxic” air pollutants including mercury, PCBs and benzene are on the chopping block in Congress. Lawmakers are considering a joint resolution that would roll back stronger safeguards for the chemicals under the Clean Air Act. Never in the Act’s 50-year history has Congress ever reduced clean air […]

Tue Apr 8, 2025

1:00