For Friday, Nov. 29, 2024

1 – Flint Congressman Dan Kildee says he’s leading a bipartisan effort to stop Canada from permanently storing nuclear waste near the Great Lakes. 

Kildee is urging lawmakers to include his amendment opposing the plan in a final 2025 defense bill. A letter to the bill authors is signed by more than a dozen other federal lawmakers from the Great Lakes basin.

The proposed storage site in South Bruce, Ontario, is about 30 miles from Lake Huron, and would hold more than 50,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste.

Kildee and his colleagues warn that “any accident involving radioactive waste near the Great Lakes would have devastating and long-term consequences for the health of Michiganders and all other people who depend on the Great Lakes for their livelihood.”

Kildee points to past collaboration to prevent permanent storage in basins shared by the two countries. The lawmakers are asking for continued cooperation with Canada.

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2 – GIS, short for Geographic Information Systems, empower environmental stewardship and decision-making. 

So says the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, which recently showcased how GIS plays a vital role in protecting Michigan’s environment. 

That includes everything from monitoring air quality to managing water resources.

The department has interactive tools powered by GIS, like story maps and dashboards, that make environmental data accessible to the public. 

The tools include a mapper for contaminated sites and a student learning hub with a lesson on climate change.

You can find the maps and data resources online at Michigan.gov/EGLE.

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3 – Consumers Energy has submitted an amended renewable energy plan to the Michigan Public Service Commission. 

The plan aligns with updated state laws requiring utilities to generate half of their energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 60 percent by 2035. 

Key proposals include adding up to 8,000 megawatts of solar and 2,800 megawatts of wind energy. 

Consumers projects this transition will save $304 million by 2045 compared to reliance on natural gas plants. 

The new renewable energy plan must still be approved by state regulators.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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