Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Restoring Good Government – Governor Whitmer sunsets duplicative environmental commissions established during the Synder Administration

July 26, 2024

In an effort to promote government efficiency and cut red tape, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order on July 16, 2024, sunsetting two burdensome environmental commissions – the Environmental Permit Review Commission (EPRC) and the Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC) – established under the Republican Synder Administration. Legislative efforts already were in the works… Read more »

14 years ago: Enbridge oil spill disaster in Marshall, MI

July 25, 2024

July 25, 2024 marks the 14th anniversary of one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history, which happened just three months after the BP Horizon Gulf Spill. On July 25, 2010, a pipeline operated by Enbridge – the same corporation operating the risky Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac – burst and… Read more »

Policy Brief: The hidden environmental and economic costs of anaerobic digesters and biogas

July 22, 2024

  Policy Brief: Impacts of Anaerobic Digesters (PDF)   Anaerobic digesters are facilities that decompose organic waste, separating biogas from solids and liquids, called “digestate.” Biogas can be used on-site or processed into purified pipeline-grade biomethane for electricity or transportation. On confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), a biodigester may be a cover on a cesspit…. Read more »

New Book Explores the Heart of the Two Hearted River

July 17, 2024

What do former FLOW board member Bob Otwell and Ernest Hemingway have in common? They’ve both written about the Two Hearted River. In a story published exactly one century ago, The Big Two-Hearted River, Hemingway brought to a wide audience for the first time an unmatched writing style, in this case focusing on the healing… Read more »

Michigan Co-Signs Agreement to Block Asian Carp from the Great Lakes

July 12, 2024

The states of Michigan and Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have signed an agreement to begin construction of a defense against Asian carp and other invasive species at the Brandon Road chokepoint in the Illinois River system. The long-delayed agreement, funded by the federal government and the two states, will support the… Read more »

WEBINAR // Enbridge Line 5: Trouble Under the Surface

July 2, 2024

Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline is over 71 years old and remains a threat to the waters and people of the Great Lakes region. On August 20, join FLOW and Oil & Water Don’t Mix for a special live webinar, and learn from a panel of experts and advocates about recent developments in the legal fight… Read more »

Raise your hand for the Great Lakes!

July 2, 2024

Summer is here, and for those of us in the Great Lakes region—especially in Michigan, where we’re never more than six miles from a body of water—it’s high-five season for water-lovers. If you love Great Lakes water, raise your hand. Right now, a generous donor is matching all gifts to FLOW up to $15,000! That means everyone… Read more »

ART MEETS WATER: A conversation with author, FLOW founder Jim Olson

June 27, 2024

Watch the webinar   With a formal launch 7 p.m. June 26th at The Alluvion in Commongrounds, 414 E. Eighth in Traverse City, People of the Dune is about to stir the debate and express Jim’s own deep commitment to protecting the natural world and honoring indigenous knowledge. The book can be found at local bookstores, or… Read more »

How many Great Lakes are there?

June 27, 2024

Traditionally, we have counted five Great Lakes. For decades, school children have been reminded of them via an acronym, HOMES, standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. Some, however, argue that there are at least six Great Lakes. One would be Lake St. Clair, at the center of the watershed. Without this lake, freighters… Read more »