It would be a great relief to be independent of worry about oil spills that could contaminate the Great Lakes. But those worries exist among environmentalists and many in our Great Lakes state. Enbridge Energy is moving forward with plans to build a tunnel around its Line 5 pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. The new director of the University of Michigan Water Center is Dr. Mike Shriberg. He joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, to discuss the implications.

Scientists, almost unanimously, cite climate change as an existential threat. There are differing opinions as to when we will reach a tipping point of no return. With the new federal administration attempting to roll back climate policies and funding for programs and research, what will happen next? WEMU's David Fair and Michigan Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak find out in their conversation with Julia Cole, Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Among the agencies being hit by federal funding cuts, changes in administration priorities and employee buyouts is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is in Ann Arbor, and some changes have already taken place. Deborah Lee who, up until her recent retirement, served as director of the lab. She discussed the changes with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak.

The Trump Administration has been slashing government in a variety of areas, including the Environmental Protection Agency. Region 5 of the EPA covers the Great Lakes area and includes Washtenaw County. The layoffs have the potential to impact the agency’s ability to steward the environment around the world’s largest body of fresh water. And the impact on public health could be significant. Loreen Targos is Executive Vice President of the American Federation of Government Employees-Local 704, which represents about 1,000 EPA workers. She spoke with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak about employee cuts and the implications.

Energy costs are a significant problem for many in our community, and utility bills are going up everywhere. In this month's installment of “1st Friday Focus on the Environment”, we look at the issue of energy equity with Dr. Tony Reames. He is Director of the Detroit Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability. Dr. Reames joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak with an assessment of where we are on energy equity and where we're headed.

For the past year-and-a-half, Ann Arbor's David Uhlmann has been working for the Environmental Protection Agency on compliance and accountability issues. Progress has been made. With the new administration, Uhlmann will move out of his position. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak take a look back and ahead with Uhlmann as we transition into the new year and new leadership.

When the newly elected are sworn into office in January, the Michigan House of Representatives will have Republicans in the majority. The GOP took back control of the House in November while Democrats retain control of the Senate and Governor’s office. The Democratic Caucus has chosen State Representative Ranjeev Puri to serve as House Minority Leader in the new session. In the meantime, there is a lame duck session to finish up. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak were joined by Representative Puri to look at environmental policy and governance.

On Tuesday, November 5th, voting concludes, and decisions will be made about our elected leadership. Locally, there are a number of ballot issues to be decided as well. In Ann Arbor, one of the ballot questions is whether to create a publicly-owned Sustainable Energy Utility. It would be an opt-in, renewable energy source to further move the city towards it's carbon neutrality goals. Ann Arbor director of Sustainability and Innovations, Missy Stults, joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, for a review of the proposal and its implications for the future.

The Army Corps of Engineers wants to ship toxic waste from New York to a facility in western Wayne County. It comes from the World War II-era Manhattan Project and has low levels of radioactivity. While the shipment issue winds through the court system, measures are being taken in Lansing. State Representative Reggie Miller is a Democrat from Van Buren Township. where Wayne Disposal is located and where the shipments are scheduled to arrive. She has introduced a bill that would ban all out-of-state waste shipments and discusses it with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak.

The Biden Administration has taken steps to address the environmental problems posed by PFAS contamination. The U.S. Supreme Court recently made a ruling overturning the "Chevron Doctrine," and it has environmentalists alarmed. The implications on PFAS regulation and clean-up are already being felt and could have implications right here in Michigan. That's the topic WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak chose for the September edition of "1st Friday Focus on the Environment." Their guest is among those concerned about the ramifications. John Reeder is Vice President of Federal Affairs with the Environmental Working Group.