FLOW in the News

January 8, 2023; MLive

Rollback of Trump-era water rules unlikely to alter Michigan regulations

“Recent rollbacks of Trump-era federal water laws are unlikely to change much about how Michigan’s waterways are regulated, though experts say the move will enhance water protections around the Great Lakes and across the rest of the country.

Michigan is among just a few states authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to run its own wetlands regulatory program to maintain compliance with the federal Clean Water Act under state laws. The updated federal rule defines which “waters of the United States” are protected.”

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January 13, 2023; UpNorthLive

BATA partners with advertising agency to provide free ads to nonprofits

“It always brings a smile to my face when you see something like that, especially not only because we’re getting a good message out, but also when you have a canvas as large as a bus that you can utilize to get your message out, it just makes it even more stand out you know,” said Eric Linguar director of communications and development for BATA.”

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January 15, 2023, BBC

Why Michigan is trying to shut down Canada’s Enbridge Line 5 pipeline

“But two years later, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mr Snyder’s Democratic successor and a long-time opponent of Line 5, ordered the company to cease operations in the Straits, effectively shutting Line 5 down. She called it an “unreasonable risk” to the Great Lakes, one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world and an economic engine for the region.

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January 17, 2023; Bridge Michigan

Opinion | Keep Michigan water affordable and in public hands

“In 2023, Michigan needs an inspiring vision, championed from the highest places inside our government and out. In her State of the State message set for Jan. 25, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a chance to show the way by articulating bold proposals for Michigan’s water. I urge her to declare 2023 the Year of Keeping Water Public and Protected for All in Michigan.”

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January 21, 2023; Northern Express

Finding Power in All the Right Places

“While the exact numbers vary by study, an increasingly smaller percentage of the world’s population holds an increasingly larger percentage of global wealth. Interwoven with this reality are issues of race, privilege, access, consumption, and power. Wealth also determines who controls and most deeply impacts Earth’s resources, shifting their use from public good to private gain and bringing us to this critical point, where having clean air, land and water, biodiversity, and a stable climate is at risk.”

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January 24, 2023; Illinois State University—By University staff

World Water Day: Tribal sovereignty talk, March 21

“To mark World Water Day, Zach Welcker will deliver the lecture, “Tribal Sovereignty and Water: The Long View on Water Use and Management” at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 in the Circus Room at the Bone Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. 

Welcker is the legal director of For Love of Water (FLOW), a nonprofit organization with the mission to ensure the waters of the Great Lakes Basin are healthy, public, and protected. Welker is FLOW’s first full-time legal director, who is responsible for building on FLOW’s legal power, policy acumen, and partnerships among tribes, conversation groups, frontline communities, justice organizations, and scientists. “