Eco-Minute

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 bags in your car. And it might help protect your health. Micro- and nanoplastics h...

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 food chain and leaving less food available for nativ...

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 natur...

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 the cost of all the new power plants and other infras...

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. Coal plants release a long list of toxins into the air and water, including mercury a...

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. June is pollinator month! A time to reco...

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 Mississippi River? Unless you live near the river, maybe not as m...

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 data centers of the electricity they need. Zeldin called the rule “burdensome” in the face of the comin...

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 companies....

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 the harms come from increased ozone pollution, which is linked to se...

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 are extremely concerned about possible harms to the river and health and noise impacts. Wisc...

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 are concerned about harms to freshwater resources and wildlif...

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 Standards took effect in 2015, they’ve driven...

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, Wisconsin has experienced increases in harms related...

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 logging. A record-breaking year for outdoor recreation tourism in Wisconsin. Our lak...

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 can easily run off into strea...

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. Now, an end to that waiting is finally in sight. The Senat...

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 Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin to protect Minnesota’s boun...

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 any other crop. More than 80,000 private drinking water wells...

Environmental groups across the state – including Clean Wisconsin—are calling for a pause in AI data center projects. The groups issued a joint statement calling on lawmakers to develop a strategic framework that will ensure Wisconsin communities are not harmed by the massive power-and-water-hungry facilities. That call includes: no burning of fossil fuels to power AI data centers, and no increase...

The developer behind an AI data center approved in Port Washington is backing away from plans to buy up land near Green Bay. Residents in the Village of Greenleaf caught wind of the project when some landowners started getting offers from an undisclosed buyer. Once it became clear the buyout was for a massive data center, concerns about water use and other environmental harms quickly followed. Aft...

Neighbors in Kewaunee County upset after large amounts of manure washed off of nearby farm fields and contaminated a local stream that feeds drinking water wells. The DNR says it happened during recent heavy rains and the agency is monitoring the situation. It is not considered a best-practice to spread animal waste on farm fields during the winter when there are no plants to absorb it, although s...

Families and businesses across Wisconsin will likely help pick up the tab once again to keep coal burning in another state. The Trump Administration is ordering two aging coal plants in Indiana to stay open, even though energy regulators there say they are not needed. The cost to bring the plants back online is expected to reach tens of millions of dollars and will likely be paid through price inc...

Wisconsin soybean farmers are pushing the EPA to finalize rules allowing a controversial herbicide back on the market. Dicamba is used on soybeans and cotton that has been genetically modified to resist the weedkiller. But it has a tendency to get into water supplies and drift in the air, hurting other plants like orchards, gardens and trees. The EPA will now require the Dicamba to be mixed other...

Wisconsin’s new rule is a game-changer for solar energy access in apartments, eliminating the costly requirement for separate electric meters for each unit. This comes on the heels of a pivotal Supreme Court ruling affirming the constitutionality of administrative rule delays. Plus, get ready for the 2026 State Parks Admission Pass featuring a charming design by a local High School student....