My 2021 story on drinking water affordability for @planetdetroit.org that featured now Dem Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed was working on the issue for Detroit Mayor Duggan. Affordability legislation in Michigan has failed to advance. planetdetroit.org/2021/11/dugg...

Duggan water advisor Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Detroit focused on ending shutoffs, but affordability needs national attention

Newly re-elected Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s drinking water focus is clear, according to his point-person for shutoff and affordability plans.  “The

planetdetroit.org

We've littered Earth to death and space orbits are a satellite junkyard. Next space junk repository, the Moon. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

SpaceX rocket thought to have crashed into the moon in unintentional collision

Four-tonne piece of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket believed to have hit lunar surface on Wednesday at 5,400 miles an hour

theguardian.com

Michigan followers, primary election today. The Guardian (U.S. edition) has an xlnt analysis of the Dem Senate candidates. An outside the Michigan bubble take. FWIW. www.theguardian.com/us-news/vide...

Mamdani won New York. Can a progressive win the Michigan primary? – Stateside with Kai and Carter

Progressives have defeated established moderates in elections in liberal cities. Can it happen in the deep-purple midwest? Host Carter Sherman speaks with Guardian midwest political correspondent Rach...

theguardian.com

In 2019 the Michigan congressional delegation went to Illinois to get an Army Corps briefing on the action to stop the (Asian) carp advance. The project has advanced slooowly and is now on another hold. garyglx5.substack.com/p/stuck-in-n... Photo: Gary Wilson

'Michigan Went the Other Way' A good read here where the author explains the importance of the Michigan Supreme Court ruling on the tunnel replacement for Line 5. Stick with it and you will be better informed on the issue. open.substack.com/pub/thecurre...

Michigan Went the Other Way

While federal courts narrow environmental review, the state Supreme Court just widened it, and handed the Great Lakes back to the people who use them.

open.substack.com

Stuck in neutral carp project indicative of slow walk on Great Lakes protection. "There is no time to waste," two prominent Great Lakes senators said in 2011. open.substack.com/pub/garyglx5...

Stuck in neutral carp project indicative of slow walk on Great Lakes protection

Carp invasion and fallout from a Line 5 oil pipeline failure are the highest order of threats

open.substack.com

'The Michigan Environmental Protection Act lives.' A good backgrounder on a critical environmental law. And props to the cast that took it to the Mich Supreme Court. open.substack.com/pub/dempseyd...

The Michigan Environmental Protection Act lives

Michigan Supreme Court Affirms Landmark 1970 Law and Public Trust Doctrine

open.substack.com

Invasive (Asian) carp: I stumbled on this press release from 2011. www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/pre.... 15 years later a small scale, lower budget plan that would minimize the risk of a carp invasion is stalled and if re-started, won't be completed until early 2030's. #LowPriority #Inertia

Great Lakes Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Stop Asian Carp | U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois

The Official U.S. Senate website of Dick Durbin

durbin.senate.gov

Justice Dept subpoenas NYT freelsnce reporter. Hopefully the Times will provide legal support. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...

Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources

A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.

nytimes.com

Worth noting: 'Michigan Supreme Court vacates key Line 5 permit.' Will be curious to see Gov. Whitmer's reax. A good explainer here on complex issue. bridgemi.com/michigan-env...

Michigan Supreme Court vacates key Line 5 permit - Bridge Michigan

The court ruled 6-1 that the Michigan Public Service Commission’s review of a key permit for the petroleum pipeline tunnel was overly narrow, failing to consider whether the tunnel will harm public tr...

bridgemi.com

p.s. Tidy it up, declare victory and move on.

Gary Wilson@garyglx5.bsky.social · 6d ago

I'll go out on a limb if someone wants to hand me a saw. As USACE put a "stop" on the $1.1b project to stop Invasive (Asian) carp, maybe it's time to let the beleaguered project fade away. The project's genesis was in 2010 and if it advances, est completion in early 2030's. Speaks volumes.

I'll go out on a limb if someone wants to hand me a saw. As USACE put a "stop" on the $1.1b project to stop Invasive (Asian) carp, maybe it's time to let the beleaguered project fade away. The project's genesis was in 2010 and if it advances, est completion in early 2030's. Speaks volumes.

Performative political pandering, ya think!

Dave Dempsey@greatlakesscribe.bsky.social · last wk.

More on Michigan House Republicans. They’re holding an oversight hearing today on Canadian forest fires. The burning of fossil fuels will not be on the agenda.

Michigan's penchant for risky energy solutions. New York Times puts a spotlight on the Palisades nuke plant restart. From my reporting - Intl nuke power expert questions Michigan "travel back to the 1960's." open.substack.com/pub/garyglx5...

Michigan's penchant for risky energy solutions

Palisades nuke plant restart is subject of in-depth New York Times reporting

open.substack.com

A good read here from Canada. 'Ten Agreements Over 50 Years. The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River Watershed is Still Waiting for Canada and Ontario to Finish the Job.' open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Ten Agreements Over 50 Years. The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River Watershed is Still Waiting for Canada and Ontario to Finish the Job

Did Billy Bishop Decision Change the Momentum?

open.substack.com

ICYMI: The multi-billion dollar federal Great Lakes restoration program has had rare bi-partisan support. Finally, an acknowledgement of the obvious. That it's because it brings money to congressional districts. garyglx5.substack.com/p/great-lake...

Great Lakes restoration expert flips the talking point script

UMich water center director acknowledges the Achilles Heel of multi-billion dollar program

garyglx5.substack.com

My 2024 reporting on the Palisades nuke plant re-start. International nuclear expert questions the logic of the endeavor - a company with no experience attempting to do something that's never been done. 2/2 www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/20/i...

International nuclear energy expert questions Michigan’s Palisades restart - Great Lakes Now

Holtec’s lack of nuclear operating experience is cited as a potential issue, and expert Mycle Schneider urges a focus on renewables.

greatlakesnow.org

Gary Wilson@garyglx5.bsky.social · last wk.

New York Times takes a close look at the wobbly attempt to re-start the aged Palisades nuke plant that borders Lake Michigan. Lotsa questions and concerns. Michigan ponied up $300M to support the venture. 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/b...

New York Times takes a close look at the wobbly attempt to re-start the aged Palisades nuke plant that borders Lake Michigan. Lotsa questions and concerns. Michigan ponied up $300M to support the venture. 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/b...

Why Restarting a Nuclear Power Plant Can Be Much Harder Than Expected

The first U.S. attempt at reopening a shuttered reactor has been held back by run-down equipment and a lack of planning.

nytimes.com

Great Lakes restoration expert flips the talking point script. Rare acknowledgement of critical weak points of multi-billion dollar federal program that doesn't regulate and avoids controversy. open.substack.com/pub/garyglx5...

Great Lakes restoration expert flips the talking point script

UMich water center director acknowledges the Achilles Heel of multi-billion dollar program

open.substack.com

A good read here. "In Michigan, environmental protection has become a boutique issue, largely a frill that candidates stuff into the back of their unread policy platforms."

Dave Dempsey@greatlakesscribe.bsky.social · last wk.

Environmental protection: the ultimate boutique issue daviddempsey.org/blog/environ...

Big box store

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 2w ago

Something I think about a lot is how the US created a system that produces safe, clean, virtually limitless drinking water for every citizen -- a political & engineering miracle for the ages! -- & then went ahead & created a huge, polluting, pointless bottled water industry anyway.

How did Michigan Gov. Whitmer go from being seen as an environmental champion to a governor who was no better than her predecessor who she widely criticized. I explain here. #bottledwater #BentonHarbor #Line5 garyglx5.substack.com?utm_campaign...

Gary’s Great Lakes Notebook | Substack

A Substack focused on the Great Lakes, water and environmental justice issues. Click to read Gary’s Great Lakes Notebook, by Gary Wilson, a Substack publication. Launched a year ago.

garyglx5.substack.com

A regular occurrence when I wear the hat. Today a store clerk. clerk: that hat represent Canada? me: yes clerk: you from there? me: No, but I grew up near the Detroit River a stone’s throw from Canada. I wear it to support Canada. clerk: cool… me too. This will repeat in a few days.

Gretchen Whitmer's water legacy: Michigan governor pledged to right previous wrongs but did no better than her predecessor. open.substack.com/pub/garyglx5...

Gretchen Whitmer's water legacy

Michigan governor pledged to right previous wrongs but did no better than her predecessor. "Following right along with the policies of the Snyder administration."

open.substack.com

Michigan’s line 5 tunnel decision: “The State of Michigan has betrayed us today, every swimmer, every boater, every fisher, every Tribal Nation, and every Michigander who loves these waters,”said Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle. earthjustice.org/press/2026/t...

Tribes React as Michigan Approves Line 5 Tunnel Permits

State regulators authorize Enbridge to build an oil tunnel below the Straits of Mackinac

earthjustice.org

If you've been following the long, strange trip that is the Line 5 oil pipeline in Michigan, a must read here. Gov. Whitmer reverts to 1953 thinking. #FishKills #NuclearTesting #DDT and more says the author. thecurrentowdm.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

Welcome to 1953

A Permit for Desecration

thecurrentowdm.substack.com

A good read here. Decades on, environmental restoration of Toronto's harbor isn't finished. Now is not the time to give writes @waterkeepermark.bsky.social. Same principles apply for the Detroit River that still contains 3.5M cubic yards of toxic sediment with no viable remediation plan.

Mark Mattson@waterkeepermark.bsky.social · 3w ago

Toronto Harbour isn't finished being restored. We can't give up on it now. On the Great Lakes, Billy Bishop & why we shouldn't accept a degraded baseline as the status quo open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Headline: 'Michigan lawmaker wants to make free school meals permanent' An accurate headline: Michigan lawmaker wants to transfer cost of feeding students to tax payers. Merits of the program aside, let's be honest, someone is paying. michiganadvance.com/briefs/michi...

Michigan lawmaker wants to make free school meals permanent • Michigan Advance

Legislation advancing in the Michigan Senate would provide universal free breakfast and lunch to all public school students.

michiganadvance.com

Funny how an unexpected opportunity could lead to a lake cruise and a lesson learned. #Muskegon substack.com/home/post/p-...

An afternoon lake cruise in Muskegon leads to a lesson learned

A minor memo on making the best of an unexpected Saturday afternoon lake cruise

substack.com

An afternoon lake cruise in Muskegon leads to a lesson learned. 'And voila, we’re in the “big lake” as folks in Muskegon refer to Lake Michigan.' garyglx5.substack.com/p/an-afterno...

An afternoon lake cruise in Muskegon leads to a lesson learned

A minor memo on making the best of an unexpected Saturday afternoon lake cruise

garyglx5.substack.com