Eco-Minute

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.

May is Clean Air month, but after decades of progress, the air we breathe in Wisconsin could be getting more polluted, according to the DNR. That’s because a long list of federal protections have been rolled back or dismantled over the past year, including vehicle emissions standards, safeguards against toxic mercury in the air, and rules aimed at cracking down on ozone pollution drifting here from other states.

Right now on the Defender Podcast – should you be worried about AI data centers and our water? A deep dive into the research at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 serious respiratory illness and heart disease.

Underfunding from state lawmakers means there’s going to be fewer muskies, walleyes, and other game fish in our lakes. The Department of Natural Resources is making severe budget cuts because of a deficit in the state’s fish and wildlife account, which has been underfunded by the legislature in recent years. The agency is also cutting wildlife surveys and habitat work.

Right now on the Defender Podcast – what tech companies don’t want you to know about data centers and water. Listen cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

Wisconsin Senator and Minnesota native Ron Johnson is helping a foreign mining company set up shop near the Boundary Waters. He joined Senate Republicans as they voted to lift a 20-year ban on toxic mining near the famous pristine and wild landscape. A Chilean-owned company called Twin Metals is pushing to build a sulfide-ore copper mine in the area.

Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into Wisconsin’s most pressing environmental issues, checking out The Defender Podcast. Listen cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 wildlife habitat.

For the first time in more than 100 years, a sturgeon has made the 20-mile upstream journey from Lake Michigan to Ozaukee County in the Milwaukee River. Wildlife experts are calling it a monumental conservation milestone. Sturgeon once thrived in the River but disappeared because of pollution, dams, and overfishing. This historic milestone is the culmination of a massive, multi-agency effort to remove barriers to fish passage and clean up pollution in the Milwaukee River.

Right now on the Defender podcast, I talk with Madison’s chef of the year about what chefs are doing to protect the planet. Listen cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 down dangerous mercury pollution from power plants by more than 90%.

Some good news for our Great Lakes. Legislation reauthorizing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has passed the US House—with support from every Wisconsin representative. The bill, which now heads to the Senate, extends critical funding to protect our waters, public health, and coastal communities through 2031.

For a deep dive into Wisconsin’s most pressing environmental issues, check out my Defender podcast. Listen cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 to climate change including damaging storms, toxic wildfire smoke and a boom in reported cases of tickborne diseases.

Exploratory drilling happening in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Taylor County – by a Canadian company hoping to build a sulfide mine in the area. The company wants to see if it would be economically viable to extract metals like gold and copper from the environment. Any actual mine project could still be years away.

Right now on the Defender Podcast, a look at what Data Center Tariffs are – and why should care. Listen cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 lakes, rivers, trails and parks brought in $12 billion in economic activity in 2024. In January Gov. Evers in sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging the Bureau of Economic Analysis to finally release the data for 2024. It’s unclear when 2025 data will be available.

Right now on The Defender Podcast, meet the teen who’s suing Wisconsin over climate change. Listen to The Defender at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 streams and lakes – since there are no plants to absorb it.

A Wisconsin lawmaker on the cover of Time Magazine for its special AI data center issue. Representative Francesca Hong is profiled in the issue because of her recent bill to pause AI data center approvals in the state. The Madison-based lawmaker has raised concerns about environmental harms and cost. In November, Clean Wisconsin launched a petition calling on lawmakers to pause unchecked AI data development. 

Right now on the Defender Podcast, some groundbreaking research—involving beef raised right here in Wisconsin—that’s changing the way we look at food, nutrition and the environment. Listen at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 Senate is expected to pass the funding deal when it meets in March.

Clean Wisconsin is suing the EPA over its repeal of climate protections. The case challenges the EPA’s rescission of the 2009 endangerment finding, which found that climate pollution is a threat to public health and welfare. Since that 2009 finding, Wisconsin has experienced increases in harms related to climate change including severe and damaging storms, toxic wildfire smoke and more reported cases of tickborne diseases.

Knowledge is power. For an in-depth look at Wisconsin’s most pressing environmental issues, check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 boundary waters from toxic mining. Last month, congressional Republicans voted to lift a 20-year ban on mining near the famous pristine and wild landscape. The resolution now heads to the Senate for approval. A Chilean-owned company called Twin Metals is pushing to build a sulfide-ore copper mine in the area.

Right now on the Defender Podcast, hear how the City of Superior stood up against a massive gas-burning power plant – and won.

Listen at cleanwiscosnin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.