Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

March 10 Webinar – Deep Threats to Our Sixth Great Lake: Spotlighting and Solving Michigan’s Groundwater Emergency

March 4, 2021

Out of sight and therefore out of mind, Michigan’s groundwater faces deep threats, including contamination in thousands of places by everything from failing septic systems to industrial chemicals. A Zoom webinar hosted by FLOW on Wednesday, March 10, from noon to 1 p.m. EST, will provide insight and commentary on the state of Michigan’s groundwater and what can be done to better protect the source of drinking water for 45% of Michigan’s population. In addition, invited speakers will make presentations on other critical issues related to groundwater quality and quantity. Click here to register.

Canada’s Pressure Campaign to Keep Running the Dangerous ‘Line 5’ Pipelines in the Great Lakes Calls for a “Reality Check”

March 3, 2021

Enbridge has unleashed a barrage of stories that claim Michigan and the U.S. need Canadian oil from Line 5, that thousands of jobs in Sarnia are in jeopardy, and that Sarnia and Ontario oil refineries already plan to implement an alternative by transporting crude oil by rail or ship it up the St Lawrence and on to Sarnia—a scare tactic on Ontario citizens. This is nothing but an attempt by Enbridge and the oil producers and refiners to pressure the Canadian government and Ontario citizens to oppose the shutdown of Line 5. These tactics require a reality check for both governments and all of the citizens in both countries, especially the 40 million of us who depend on the Great Lakes for our drinking water, jobs, navigation, fishing, and quality of life. 

FLOW Will Appeal Administrative Decision on Oil Tunnel and Pipeline that Ignores Critical Evidence on Climate, Public Need, and Looming Shutdown of Line 5

February 23, 2021

Photo by Barbara Brown. Jim Olson, environmental attorney and senior legal advisor to FLOW (For Love of Water), the Great Lakes law and policy center based in Traverse City, reacts to a narrow ruling released today by an administrative law judge on Enbridge’s oil tunnel proposed for the Straits of Mackinac: “Today’s ruling by Administrative… Read more »

Governor’s Budget Proposal Contains $385 Million for Clean Water in Michigan, More For Cleanup and Clean Energy

February 11, 2021

Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday released a proposed state budget for the fiscal year starting October 1 that includes $385 million in new funding for clean water priorities, as well as funding for emergency contaminated site cleanup and energy projects. “The Governor’s budget would make some significant investments in Michigan’s vital water resources,” said Liz… Read more »

For Love of Water: I Need You Most in the Cold Season

February 11, 2021

Traverse City writer Karen Anderson’s “Love Letter to Otter Creek Beach” appeared in Art Speaks Water: Love Letters to the Lakes—a FLOW collaboration with writer and poet Anne-Marie Oomen—which was presented to the International Joint Commission on July 24, 2019. Anderson’s love letter is as appropriate for Valentine’s Day as any other day. Dear Otter… Read more »

Michigan’s Conservation Centennial: What Does It Teach?

February 8, 2021

The creation of a government agency rarely creates fanfare. Names and organization chart blocks come and go. But this year’s 100th anniversary of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a little different. Signed into law in February 1921 by Governor Alexander Groesbeck, what was then called the Department of Conservation was the consensus answer to the state’s need to heal the environment after decades of catastrophic mismanagement. 

Premo Fitness, Primo Support of FLOW’s Mission

February 3, 2021

FLOW’s work is supported through partnering with local, regional, and virtual businesses, including Premo Fitness that share our “Love of Water.” Anna Premo is a Traverse City health and fitness professional who took Premo Fitness virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic. She recently reached out to FLOW to offer a charitable promotion for the month of February. During February 2021, she will donate a percentage of her online sales to FLOW. This is a great opportunity for you to support Great Lakes protection, as well as a business that loves water, and try something new for your personal health. FLOW is thrilled to have Anna Premo as a new business partner.

FLOW’s statement to Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority

February 3, 2021

FLOW President Jim Olson made the above statement to the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority during a February 3, 2021, public meeting regarding the Line 5 Easement, Assignment, Tunnel Agreement, and 99-year lease.

FLOW Deeply Disappointed in the State of Michigan’s Environmental Permit Approval for Proposed ‘Line 5’ Oil Tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac

January 29, 2021

Liz Kirkwood, environmental attorney and executive director of FLOW (For Love of Water), reacts to news today that the State of Michigan has granted environmental permit approval for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 oil tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac: “We are deeply disappointed by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE’s) decision… Read more »