The Great Lakes hold nearly 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater, making them a resource of national and international importance. They power regional economies, support shipping routes vital to global trade, and provide drinking water to 40 million people across the U.S. and Canada. Safeguarding the Great Lakes is not only essential for the communities that rely on them daily, but also for the stability of North America’s environment, economy, and international partnerships.
Fresh is a weekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing, straight to your inbox, every Wednesday.
— Christian Thorsberg, Fresh Editor
Weekly Watershed
- Two major pieces of Michigan water policy were amended, to add stricter hiring requirements for water utility operators and to extend the collection of permitting fees.
- A bill introduced in the Ohio House Natural Resources Committee seeks to ban drilling for oil and gas underneath Lake Erie.
- After a stalemate between Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and President Trump, the state announced it had acquired land needed to advance the build-out of an invasive carp barrier.
Fresh from the Great Lakes News Collaborative
- What to know about Michigan whitefish crisis, from limits to solutions — Bridge Michigan
- How Buffalo, New York has adapted to and embraced an influx of climate migrants — Great Lakes Now
- EPA workers in Michigan region furloughed as federal government shutdown continues — Michigan Public
- Ontario is subsidizing an energy project in Georgian Bay despite expert advice — The Narwhal
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, Michigan Public and The Narwhal work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work here.
The Lead
Drilling Lake Erie: HB 399, introduced last week in the Ohio House Natural Resources Committee, seeks to outlaw the extraction of oil and gas from underneath Lake Erie and in any state park.
“Ohioans expect us to act as stewards of our environment and public lands, not just for today, but for the generations that will come after us,” said Rep. Tristan Rader (D), the bill’s co-sponsor, in a press release. “This bill reaffirms that responsibility and ensures that our most iconic and sensitive public spaces are permanently protected from industrial exploitation.”
The legislation would prevent state authorities from issuing any permit or lease allowing the removal of oil and natural gas from the Great Lake’s bed, reversing a bill signed into law in 2023 by Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine, which allowed fracking in state parks.
“Over the past year, several alarming developments have raised public concern, including the authorization of fracking at Salt Fork State Park, Ohio’s largest state park, and leasing of land for oil and gas development at Wolf Run and Valley Run state parks,” Rader said in last week’s testimony.
“These moves have drawn strong opposition from local communities, environmental advocates, and public health experts. Many fear that impacts to groundwater, wildlife habitats, and park tourism will occur,” he continued.
While current federal law also prohibits fracking in the Great Lakes, lawmakers are urging state protections given the Trump administration’s clear push to drill for oil in some of the country’s most pristine and protected areas.
Meanwhile, Canadian law does allow drilling under Lake Erie. Roughly 550 natural gas wells are currently in operation in the lake across the border. Together, they account for three-fourths of Ontario’s total gas production.
In the News
Michigan Public Water Supplies: Earlier this month, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law two bills that make slight changes to cornerstone pieces of state environmental policy.
Public Act 29 amends the state’s Safe Drinking Water Act of 1976, which gave the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) direct control over Michigan’s public drinking water program. The new law requires the department to classify public water supplies — including water treatment and distribution centers — by their size, type, location, and condition in order to ensure those hired to run these operations have the required “skill, knowledge, and experience.” EGLE will create an advisory board of examiners that reviews these hires, and through September 2029 may offer paid classes for those wishing to become a utility operator.
Working in tandem, Public Act 30 amends ten sections of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, primarily to extend the collection of fees for stormwater discharge permits, floodplain alterations, and utility certification exams through September 2029. The annual expected revenue from these fees is estimated to be $7.6 million.
Looking Ahead
Last week, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced it had closed on two parcels of land — together totaling 2.75 acres — needed to continue construction on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), a $1.15 billion multi-deterrent barricade designed to keep invasive carp, also called copi, from reaching the Great Lakes via the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers.
A combination of locks, electric barriers, acoustic deterrents, and bubble curtains will be built into an engineered channel near the town of Joliet, on the Des Plaines River. Copi, a non-native species, were introduced to the Mississippi River 50 years ago. Their propensity to out-compete native fish threatens the Great Lakes’ multi-billion dollar fisheries and tourism industries.
The barrier’s progress has been delayed in large part by political tensions. Earlier this year, Illinois Gov. Pritzker refused to move forward with the project after President Trump froze more than $100 million in federal funds earmarked for BRIP. This friction grew more intense throughout the summer, as Pritzker and Trump sparred over the deployment of the National Guard into Chicago.
Nonetheless, the land was acquired on September 30, donated from Midwest Generation LLC.
Late last week, Russ Vought, the Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget, announced on X that the Army Corps of Engineers would be pausing $11 billion worth of “lower-priority” projects amidst the government shutdown. BRIP does not yet appear to be affected.
You can find more stories from the Great Lakes region here.
Your support powers independent journalism on water. From the Great Lakes to global crises, Circle of Blue delivers trusted reporting that informs communities and decision-makers. Help us continue this work—every gift makes a difference.
