Eco-Minute

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 of Wisconsin are being invaded this month—by lake m...

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. Many fish should only be consumed once a month, or sometime less than th...

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 protections. A new solar farm is up and ru...

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin taking the unusual step of extending its public comment deadline on a proposed methane gas power plant in Oak Creek. That’s after We Energies customers packed a recent public hearing on the plant. Many are worried about air pollution, climate impacts and the eye-opening price tag. We Energies wants to spend more than a billion dollars. The public now has...

Thousands of Wisconsin homeowners and businesses are getting tax credits this April for installing solar. The Inflation Reduction Act passed almost 3 years ago provides a tax credit to cover 30% of the cost of solar. Non-profits, schools, and local governments can also access the credit even though they don’t pay taxes through the Direct Pay provision of the law. The Public Service Commission of W...

A record number visitors toured America’s national parks and monuments last year, including sites in Wisconsin. More than 331 million people flocked to national parks in 2024. Here in Wisconsin, Apostle Islands and the St. Croix Scenic National Riverway both saw boosts in visitors. But it’s unclear what the summer travel season will hold this year, after the Trump Administration fired 1,000 nation...

A Wisconsin judge has affirmed that Canadian oil giant Enbridge must pause construction on its Line 5 pipeline while a legal challenge plays out. Conservation groups are suing to block state permits that would allow the company to clear tress, dig trenches and fill wetlands in northern Wisconsin to make way for a new 41-mile section of the pipeline that carries Canadian crude oil to refineries in...

Wisconsin faces turmoil as federal EV charging funds are paused, stalling a $78 million initiative. Meanwhile, outdoor recreation surges, pumping $11 billion into local economies. Explore environmental strategies and advocacy.