Eco-Minute

Dismantling the IRA and other federal clean energy incentives will add half a gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. That’s according to modeling from Princeton University. House Republicans passed aggressive cuts to clean energy incentives in their latest budget. Slowing down energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy progresswill also cause higher energy costs for most families and businesses. The Senate is now considering the bill.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has given the greenlight for a major buildout of fossil fuel-burning plants in Wisconsin. We Energies wants to build new gas plants and operate them for 30 years largely to meet the needs of the Microsoft’s AI data center in under construction in Mt. Pleasant. Burning gas in Wisconsin communities comes with a host of health harms and of course pushes us further from reaching our climate goals.

It’s turtle nesting season, and the DNR is asking drivers to slow down on roads near wet areas, lakes and rivers. Wisconsin’s 11 turtle species lay eggs from late May through June, when you can often see them along roads and in yards. Cars are the leading cause of turtle decline throughout our state. But you can help keep them safe by being alert when driving through their habitat.

Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into environmental issues in Wisconsin, check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin presses EPA head Lee Zeldin on Great Lakes funding at a hearing on Capitol Hill. The exchange came just one week after Clean Wisconsin, the Healing Our Waters Coalition, and Alliance for the Great Lakes met with Baldwin to stress the importance of fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Zeldin ended up going on record saying the protections would be funded.

Wisconsin’s musky season is here! Northern Musky season opens May 24th and runs through the end of the year. This is the 70th anniversary of the Muskellunge being proclaimed our official state fish back in 1955. The biggest muskie ever caught was in 1949 near Hayward, weighing in at more than 69 pounds.

Knowledge is power, for a deep dive into Wisconsin’s environmental issues, check out my Defender podcast, at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 midges. Swarms of the insects have been seen rising from waterbodies including Lake Monona in Madison. The bugs can create quite a scene when they all hatch at once, but they are harmless. And they provide food for fish, bats and birds.

Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into environmental issues in Wisconsin, check out my Defender podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 that depending on the water body. Wisconsin’s fish can be contaminated with mercury from coal-fired power plants, PFAS chemicals and PCBs.

No Mow May is here, but experts say you don’t have to go too crazy to protect pollinators in your yard. Instead, support pollinator habitat all year long by planting native perennial flowers, leaving some fallen leaves and old plant matter in a few areas to create cover for underground bumble-bee nests, and avoid using pesticides and other chemicals.

Knowledge is power, for a deep dive into environmental issues in Wisconsin, check out my Defender podcast at Clean Wisconsin. Org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 running in southern Wisconsin. The Darien Solar Energy Center in Walworth and Rock counties can provide enough energy to power about 75,000 homes. The high-tech panels can move and track the sun throughout the day and capture energy on both sides, which comes in handy when there is snow on the ground reflecting the sun. Thanks to falling prices, solar is now the quickest and cheapest way to produce energy.

Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into environmental issues in Wisconsin check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 through April 7th to weigh in.

This City of Green Bay is joining forces with AmeriCorps on a major Earth Day event to spruce things up ahead of the NFL draft coming to Titletown later this month. Hundreds of volunteers will work on conservation projects at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary including tree planting, trail system improvements, invasive species removal, and park clean-up.

Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into environmental issues in Wisconsin check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 Wisconsin says no to an affordable housing project that wanted to install solar. Developers of an energy efficient, 70-unit La Crosse apartment building asked the commission to waive a policy that requires individual electric meters in each unit. They say combining a solar system with 70 separate meters would be unworkable and too expensive. Commissioners declined to issue a waiver.

For a deep dive into environmental issues and what you can do to protect Wisconsin’s water, air and land, check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 national parks employees across the country on Valentine’s Day.

Time to say happy birthday to our state parks. This year the Wisconsin State Park System turns 125. Our oldest park is… Intestate Park located along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway… established back in 1900.

For a deep dive into environmental issues and what you can do to protect Wisconsin’s water, air and land, check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 Ontario.

Republicans and Democrats in Wisconsin are coming together to support livestock grazing on our farms. State lawmakers have introduced the Transition to Grazing bill that will help farmers improve soil, water quality and livestock health by getting dairy cows and other animals out of the barns and grazing on grass in the spring and summertime.

For a deep dive into environmental issues and what you can do to protect Wisconsin’s water, air and land, check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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.