Time for the Coal Ash-Dumping Car Ferry to Play by Rules

Posted on November 8, 2011 by samweis

Image from Chicagotribune.com

After promising the EPA that it would find a solution and stop dumping hundreds of tons of toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan every year, the owners of the Badger car ferry are pulling out all of the stops, desperately trying to find an exemption from the Clean Water Act that will allow them to keep polluting.

This article in the Chicago Tribune highlights the Badger Owners’ attempts to have the aging vessel named a National Landmark, and this one in the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter illustrates the legislative maneuvers the owners are attempting to get an exemption from the Clean Water Act.

The Badger ferry has been polluting Lake Michigan long enough, and today Clean Wisconsin and several other environmental and wildlife groups took action to try to put a stop to this egregious act. Read more in the press release below:

Environmental and Wildlife Groups: Coal Ash-Dumping Car Ferry Should Play by Rules
Aging Badger car ferry dumps over 500 tons of toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan each year

MADISON – Environmental and wildlife groups are asking the U.S. Senate and the Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board to take action to ensure that Badger car ferry owners are unsuccessful in efforts to circumvent the Clean Water Act in order to continue to dump hundreds of tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan every year.

“Lake Michigan is a national treasure that provides drinking water for 10 million people; the Badger car ferry should not be allowed to treat it like a landfill,” said Amber Meyer Smith, director of government relations at Clean Wisconsin. “Coal ash contains 24 known pollutants including mercury, arsenic and lead. Dumping it straight into Lake Michigan is an egregious act that must stop.”

Every year, the Badger car ferry dumps over 500 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan on its trips between Manitowoc, Wis. and Ludington Mich. In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the owners of the aging ship four years to find a solution that would keep coal ash out of Lake Michigan.

As the 2012 deadline draws near, the efforts of the Badger car ferry’s owners are focused on once again trying to circumvent the Clean Water Act instead of cleaning up the aging ship. Owners are asking the U.S. Park Service to declare the ship and its engines a National Landmark, and on Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment that would exempt the ferry from the Clean Water Act for the life of the vessel. If the ship is either declared a National Landmark or if the House amendment is enacted, the Badger car ferry will be allowed to continue dumping toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan.

“There is no reason the Badger car ferry should be permitted to dump toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan when the rest of the Great Lakes fleet has cleaned up its act,” said George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. “Every year thousands of anglers fish Lake Michigan, infusing millions of dollars into our economy. By dumping hundreds of tons of toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan every year, the Badger car ferry is jeopardizing a national treasure, a Wisconsin tradition and a multimillion-dollar industry.”

In a letter addressed to the Landmarks Committee of the National Park Service Advisory Board today, 14 environmental and wildlife organizations ask the board to delay a decision on the Badger car ferry owners’ request to designate the vessel a National Landmark until the agency has the opportunity to consult with the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“This decision should not be taken lightly when the health of Lake Michigan is at stake,” said George Meyer. “Lake Michigan deserves special protections, not the Badger car ferry. I urge the Landmarks Committee of the National Park Service Advisory Board and our Senators in Washington D.C. to take action and make sure that the Badger car ferry is required to play by the rules.”

A copy of the letter sent to the Landmarks Committee of the National Park Service Advisory Board is available at:
http://cleanwisconsin.org/index.php?module=cms&page=499

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Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and polluters accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. 608-251-7020, information@cleanwisconsin.org, www.cleanwisconsin.org.

-Contributed by Sam Weis, Communications Director

Return to Lake Tainter

Posted on October 11, 2011 by samweis

“Disgusting. Acrid. It smells like you’re walking into a pig barn.”

That’s how Melissa Malott, water program director at Clean Wisconsin, described the smell of an algae-filled bay on a recent tour of Northwestern Wisconsin’s Tainter Lake with Dick Lamers, President of the Tainter Menomin Lake Improvement Association.

After visiting this spring to discuss the effects of recurring blue-green algae blooms in lakes Tainter and Menomin and capture video, Malott and Clean Wisconsin communications director Sam Weis returned to Menomonie in August to see the algae blooms firsthand.

What they found was shocking, despite having heard dozens of accounts from locals before.
A thick layer of paint-like green algae bubbled atop the water, sending off noxious, gag-inducing odors in the back bays of Lake Tainter and the Red Cedar River. Piers, boats and backyards remained empty and unused on this beautiful summer day. The video above captures some of the sights, smells and stories we captured on this trip, as well as highlights DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp’s subsequent visit.

Being on the water is not only unpleasant, but also can be dangerous. The thick mat of green and blue-swirled algae is cyanobacteria, a toxic occurrence better known as blue-green algae. The toxic algae blooms that occur each year on these lakes results from excess phosphorus pollution and can cause cause rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, severe respiratory illness, and nerve and liver damage.

Reducing the frequency of toxic blue-green algae blooms in lakes like Tainter and Menomin and preventing them in other waters across the state, is why Clean Wisconsin works so hard to curb phosphorus pollution in our waterways.

Touring Lake Tainter was a terrific reminder of just how important that work is.

Click here to see the complete Tainter-Menomin video series and learn about how you can help clean up Wisconsin’s most impaired waters!

From fryers to fuel — Reducing our need for fossil fuels

Posted on August 11, 2011 by samweis

Man captures used cooking oil to convert to biodiesel

Photo from jsonline.com; credit Benny Sieu

Something special is happening in Milwaukee. A new company called Cream City Grecycling is hard at work collecting used cooking oil from restaurants, schools, and cafeterias across the city, paying them for what was once waste they had to pay to get rid of. After collecting the waste, they process it in local refineries to turn it into clean, renewable biodiesel that can power cars and trucks.

That’s pretty cool, and beyond being good for the environment, it helps create jobs, keep money flowing in the local economy, and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels.

You see, Wisconsin has a very costly addiction to dirty fossil fuels. Every year, we spend billions of dollars purchasing coal, oil, and natural gas from out-of-state. In 2009, we spent over $12 billion for these fuels. If you include electricity that we buy from other states that is generated from fossil fuels, that number jumps to over $18 billion.

That’s a lot of money, and, once it leaves our economy it never comes back. In return for the billions and billions of dollars we spend, we’re left with polluted air and water, contaminated by the pollution that burning fossil fuels leaves behind.

Luckily, we already have the technology we need to substantially reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Companies like Cream City Grecycling use resources that Wisconsin already has to produce the energy we need to power our economy. In doing so, they create jobs and invest in Wisconsin instead of sending money out of state.

While collecting used cooking oil to make biodiesel won’t solve our problem alone, there are many other ways that we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels today.

Wind, solar and bioenergy can all help reduce our dependence on expensive, dirty coal to produce electricity. These technologies are effective, time-tested methods of producing energy and they can be manufactured and produce energy right here in Wisconsin. All we need to make these energy solutions a reality is to pass policies that encourage their growth.

We also have the opportunity to use other waste streams to meet our energy needs. Here in the dairy state, we can use manure from our 1,266,000 cows to produce electricity using manure digesters. Many manure digesters have the added environmental benefit of removing large amounts of phosphorus — the nutrient responsible for harmful algae blooms in Wisconsin lakes — from water.

There is no silver bullet solution, but by investing in an array of time-tested clean energy solutions, we can substantially reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Companies like Cream City Grecycling are blazing the path forward. Following their lead will help clean our air and water, create jobs, and strengthen our economy.

-Contributed by Sam Weis, communications director.

The summer of blue-green algae

Posted on August 3, 2011 by samweis

While reading an article about toxic blue-green algae blooms exploding in lakes across Wisconsin this morning, one line captivated and saddened me:

“So far, no fatalities have been reported because of toxic algae this year.”

It is an unspeakable travesty that many of our lakes have become so filled with toxic algae that entering them can be life threatening. While no fatalities have been reported this year, many people have become ill as a result of the algae blooms. The numbers are not yet available for this summer, but we can only anticipate that the intensity of this year’s blooms will result in even larger numbers of people becoming ill than the previous two years, when dozens were sickened:

“A total of 57 algae-related illnesses were reported on state waters in 2009 and 2010, including 22 in Dunn County, 17 in Adams County and eight in Dane County.”

Like so many people across the state, I grew up fishing, swimming, and skiing on Wisconsin’s beautiful lakes. Our lakes are essential to our way of life and our economy here in Wisconsin.

Luckily, we have the solutions to clean up our waters — by keeping nutrients like phosphorus out of the water, we can prevent the worst of these toxic algae blooms. At Clean Wisconsin we work year-round with municipalities, farmers, legislators and residents to find cost-effective ways of keeping phosphorus out of our waters.

Our waters should not make us sick, and until they are clean and safe, we will continue the fight for clean, healthy water. Do you want to join the fight for clean water in Wisconsin? Make sure to join our Action Network, or become a member of Clean Wisconsin today!

-contributed by Sam Weis, communications director.

Green Lakes: The Tipping Point

Posted on June 6, 2011 by samweis

Sam Weis, our media specialist, recently wrote about the impact our visit to the Tainter-Menomin Lakes had on him. He called the lakes ticking time bombs because these gorgeous bodies of water would, in a matter of weeks, be green, toxic and dangerous. The magnitude of this issue is shocking to many people; frequently, I’m not sure people believe what I’m telling them about water quality problems until they see pictures.

My personal reaction to our trip was somewhat different. The problems with blue-green algae and other problems caused by rural runoff are no doubt shocking –how can the country that took a man to the moon nearly 50 years ago let such an important problem languish? – but I’ve been pondering this for years. What struck me more than anything was that this could be just the beginning. Lake health is not a black and white problem where you have good lakes and bad lakes, it’s a tipping point problem; as problems accumulate, there is a point at which the lake system can no longer manage the pollution. You know you’ve reached it when the lake glows green.

Lakes Tainter and Menomin are not bad lakes that we should categorize as green lakes; rather, they are merely more vulnerable to algae blooms than other Wisconsin lakes. If we continue to spill phosphorus and nutrients into our waterways across the state, other waters will start glowing green at that toxic tipping point.

The unease settling in me was validated with recent news that an Ohio lake succumbed to toxic blue-green algae contamination already – a full month before it has ever had algae warnings before. Beaches closed before the swimming season even begins. Bays and entire shorelines filled with a pea-soup-like mixture that you can’t step in or be near. Threats to people’s health and their pets.

I’m worried about this happening to Wisconsin waters earlier and earlier each year.

I like to talk about solutions, but solutions are only as good as the paper they’re dreamed up on if no one takes action. Fortunately, we’ve got a new tool to finally address our phosphorus and algae problems. The phosphorus rule has a management option that lets all of us work together with permitted entities to find the most cost-effective ways to clean up our waterways. The “effective” part of cost-effective is what’s important: we do have affordable options by which to actually clean up our waters.

We need to get started on them now.

-contributed by Melissa Malott, water program director

A boat ride to remember

Posted on May 16, 2011 by samweis

One of the greatest challenges as a writer is to adequately capture the power of a single moment in words. Today I experienced a moment that will be etched in my mind forever, and though I will never do it justice, I will try to capture it in writing.

Today, a few of us traveled to Menomonie, Wisconsin to tour the Tainter/Menomin watershed — one of Wisconsin’s most impaired waterways. Our plan was simple: to talk to locals about the impact of the lakes’ frequent algae blooms and to catch it on tape so that we could share their stories and convey the importance of clean water policies.

Going in I had known that these lakes are taken over by thick, green mats of algae annually. I also knew that these algae blooms often contained blue-green algae, a toxic bloom that threatens the health of children and pets. I thought surely that this would be a place where we could find compelling stories highlighting the urgent need to clean up our waterways.

I never could have imagined how right I was.

Early in the day it became clear that this was not just another day, and not just another video project. We listened in disbelief as residents told stories of algae diminishing property values, causing asthma attacks and blistered legs, sickening children and ruining retirement plans.

As we listened, on the shores of beautiful, shimmering waters, it became difficult to believe that these lakes were ticking time bombs — that in a matter of weeks they would go from beautiful and scenic to green, toxic and dangerous.

It was a moment after all of the official interviews were over, however, that will stick with me forever.

Our guide for the day, a resident living on Lake Tainter and retired military and business man, was giving us a tour of the lake on his boat when I asked him an impromptu question. “Why do you fight so hard to clean up these Lakes?”

I will never forget his answer.

His eyes teared up as he explained that he has a son who has undergone a liver transplant and his doctor says it is unsafe for him to go in or near these impaired lakes. Even his grandchildren are not allowed to swim or play in these waters as they are too dangerous.

This man is pouring his soul into trying to clean up the lakes just enough so that his children and grandchildren can enjoy the waters without fearing illness. If everyone could take a boat ride with this man, to see the passion in his eyes, and hear the determination in his voice, then I have little doubt that they would do their part to help clean up our waters and keep them clean for future generations.

For now, we have hours of interviews to sort through, and we will be bringing you videos in the coming weeks that tell the stories of the people living near Tainter/Menomin. My greatest hope is that these videos will accomplish what I fail to capture in words — the unbelievable human stories that demonstrate the urgent need to act today to clean up our waters.

Please stay tuned…

Contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist.

Is your water safe?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by samweis

Everyone deserves the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their water is safe to drink and not going to make them sick. Unfortunately, many Wisconsinites are currently denied that right, and the State Assembly voted yesterday to repeal a measure that would have helped ensure drinking water was safe by requiring municipalities to disinfect drinking water.

Currently, 66 Wisconsin communities do not disinfect their water. In cities that don’t disinfect their water supply, over 10% of acute gastro-intestinal illnesses are caused by the city’s drinking water.

In 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advanced new commonsense regulations that require all municipalities to disinfect their water. Assembly Bill 23 (passed yesterday) and Senate Bill 19 seek to undo that requirement.

Repealing the commonsense requirement that municipalities disinfect drinking water would be a major step backward that would threaten the health of thousands of Wisconsin families.

If you would like to contact your senator to tell him/her that every Wisconsinite deserves the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing that water is safe to drink, you can do so in one minute or less by clicking on this link.

-Contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist

Photos With Fish

Posted on May 6, 2011 by samweis

The fishing opener is only one day away, and anglers across the state are readying their reels, rods, tackle boxes and boats to head out tomorrow for the first fishing adventure of the year.

In the spirit of this holiday (at least it’s a holiday from this author’s perspective), we thought that we’d share some of our favorite pictures of staff with fish.

Do you have a favorite fishy picture of your own? We’d love to see it. Make sure to upload it to our Facebook page. Next week, we’ll even choose a few pictures at random and send those who posted them a shiny new Clean Wisconsin water bottle to bring along on their next fishing adventure.

Staff Attorney Elizabeth Wheeler with a mighty panfish

Media Specialist Amanda Wegner with Driftless Region Brown Trout

Communications adult intern extraordinaire Daniel Mostaza "The Staz" with fish and a stylish Wolf sweatshirt.

Communications Intern Ella Schwierske with a Walleye

Clean energy specialist Katy Walter with a yellow perch in Rhinelander

Membership assistant, Jenny Lynes with a Lake Superior lake trout

Media specialist Sam Weis with a bigger Lake Superior lake trout

WINNER: Senior policy director, Keith Reopelle, with a musky on Lake Waubesa

Whether the fish were big or small, or the photos taken recently or years ago, these pictures bring back some fond memories for all of us here at Clean Wisconsin. For many of us here, the love of fishing is a huge reason we fight so hard to protect Wisconsin’s wonderful environment.

From all of us, good luck to all of the anglers heading out this weekend for the fishing opener!

-contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist.

Proposed Northern Wisconsin Mine Warrants Concern

Posted on April 12, 2011 by samweis

The mining company known as Gogebic Taconite is busy selling the economic benefits of its proposed 22-mile-long strip mine in Northern Wisconsin, while understating the environmental risks such a mine would bring.

As John Muir once said, “Nothing dollarable is safe, however guarded,” and the mining company is using this logic to sell its proposal to the public.

The front page of today’s Wisconsin State Journal reads “Mine seen as economic boon.” The subhead reads “But the taconite proposal first must pass environmental muster.” The article focuses on the 2-3 thousand jobs that the company claims the mine would create in Northern Wisconsin, then mentions some ambiguous environmental threats the mine would bring.

Because an environmental impact study has not yet been conducted, it is difficult to determine precisely how dangerous the proposed mine would be, but there is certainly reason for concern. Just a few of these concerns include:

Past shaft and pit mines in the Lake Superior basin have impacted ecosystems through deforestation, erosion and sedimentation, acid drainage and industrial development.
The Bad River Watershed (that drains the area the mine is proposed in) contains 72 rare and endangered plants and animals.
The Bad River empties into Chequamegon Bay through 16,000 acres of wetlands, woodlands, and sand dune ecosystems, is one of the largest undeveloped freshwater estuaries in the world, and is home to waterfowl, songbirds and several species of fish.
The mining company has said it would need to construct a 300 megawatt power plant to provide for the energy needs of the plant. It has told local officials that it would like to use coal, which emits extremely high levels of pollution.
The mining operation itself would likely entail significant emissions of silica, asbestos, and dust.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of the environmental threats that the mine could bring, but it is more than enough to raise considerable concern about the project. Northern Wisconsin’s pristine environment is one of our state’s most valuable economic assets, and it helps drive a tourism industry that supports 300,000 jobs in the state.

As Gogebic Taconite moves forward with its proposal, we will be watching carefully at Clean Wisconsin to make sure that the company and state officials adequately address these important concerns.

-contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist

The Surprise Recycling Setback

Posted on April 11, 2011 by samweis

Unfortunately, you may see deep cuts to your local recycling programs as soon as this summer, as a result of the recent passage of the Budget Adjustment Bill.

Just as municipalities were bracing for proposed cuts to recycling in 2012 and beyond, news broke this weekend that they would see a 40 percent cut in 2011 recycling aid from the state. This unexpected cut results from the Budget Repair Bill’s $27 million budget cut for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

To meet this $27 million shortfall, the DNR was required to cut $13 million from the budgeted $32 million designated to aid local recycling programs.

The result of this cut? Since municipalities and counties have already set their budgets for this year, they will have little choice but to cut recycling programs.

Cities like Milwaukee may be forced to only pick up recycling once every 4-6 weeks or ask residents to bring their recycling to self-help centers on their own according to a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Smaller communities have a higher per-capita cost for recycling, and may see even greater consequences resulting from this recent cut.

This is in addition to the proposal to fully cut aid for recycling beginning in 2012 and to end the mandate that counties and municipalities provide residents with local access to recycling programs contained in Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget.

At Clean Wisconsin, we are continuing the fight to save recycling and will continue to keep you up-to-date on this vital battle.

To tell your elected officials to save recycling, make sure to visit our action network!

-contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist