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
- A coal terminal located at an officially designated degraded site on the shores of Lake Superior will close next year — though local officials hope to attract a similar next tenant.
- The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has issued tighter restrictions for concentrated animal feeding operations, also known as CAFOs.
- A bill submitted to the Ohio House would allow point-of-use and point-of-entry treatment devices in public water systems.
- Minnesota is seeking public input for its 2026 Climate Action Framework, a guide the state will follow to address climate change and adaptation challenges.
Fresh from the Great Lakes News Collaborative
- Consumers: Selling Michigan dams, paying double for power cheapest route — Bridge Michigan
- GM lays off 1,700 workers at plants in Michigan and Ohio amid slower EV demand — Michigan Public
- Don’t complain, get paid: Kitimat resident offered thousands from LNG Canada — The Narwhal
- How Buffalo, New York has adapted to and embraced an influx of climate migrants — Great Lakes Now
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
Michigan CAFOs: According to a 2024 report from the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the state’s 290 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) — generate 62.7 million pounds of waste each day. These industrial-scale animal feeding centers have been shown to pollute nearby water sources via overland runoff, tile drainage, and groundwater seepage. The report also linked CAFOs with a rise in harmful algal blooms.
Last week, Phillip Roos, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, issued a final decision that would ban farmers from using animal waste generated at CAFOs as a fertilizer on snow-covered ground in January, February, and the first two weeks of March. The ban strengthens an administrative law judge’s January 2025 order that had removed the prohibition on manure spreading in March.
Roos’s decision also allows the state to regulate specific CAFOs that operate in watersheds that fail to meet Michigan water quality standards.
Environmental groups have celebrated the decision, while agricultural organizations, including the Michigan Farm Bureau, have indicated they would explore legal alternatives, including a potential appeal.
In context: U.S. Movement to Limit CAFO Pollution Emboldened by Michigan Court Ruling
In the News
Ohio Public Water Systems: A bill introduced in the Ohio House this week seeks to allow public water systems to use technologies that would keep contaminants under legal maximum limits. HB 572 would give the state’s director of environmental protection the authority to install both point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) treatment devices in instances deemed necessary “to protect public health and safety.”
Minnesota’s Climate Plan: The state is seeking public input for its draft 2026 Climate Action Framework, a comprehensive plan that details steps to address climate change and reach statewide carbon neutrality by 2050 — a goal included in the last framework, published in 2022, that was later signed into law. According to the draft, stormwater management remains a top priority for the state, which has gotten increasingly wetter this century, compared to 20th century averages. The state is also emphasizing the nexus of climate resilience and farming, especially in the absence of federal grants, by continuing the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program.
Looking Ahead
Coal Terminal Closing At Great Lakes AOC: A coal terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, located along the Minnesota border and on Lake Superior’s shores, will officially cease operations when its lease expires next June.
Since the 1970s, the Midwest Energy Resources Company has been a regional leader in coal shipments at its Superior Midwest Energy Terminal, setting a record in 2008 by moving 22.3 million short tons of coal in a single season, and averaging 10 million tons per year.
The site is also the terminus of the St. Louis River, whose greater watershed is listed as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC), and the second-largest by area. A legacy of dredging, waste-dumping, and development has led to fish consumption advisories, beach closures, habitat loss, and water quality degradation throughout the region. At the 12,000-acre estuary where the river flows into Lake Superior, restoration work continues.
In statements, MERC attributed its departure to “changing energy needs,” though local officials have said that they hope to attract similar operators in the near future. This aligns with the Trump administration’s commitment to expand fossil fuel production, including coal.
Last week, doubling down on this promise, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it had made $100 million available to restore aging coal plants across the country.
One such plant — located on the shores of Lake Michigan, in Michigan — has proved costly so far. Originally slated for closure in May and ordered by Trump to remain open, J.H. Campbell Generating Plant has racked up at least $80 million in operating costs over just six months, Michigan Public reports.
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.
