The Environment Report

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but folks in Washington aren't exactly getting along these days. They couldn't agree on how to cut the deficit, and now we're facing automatic – across the board spending cuts from the federal government. The cuts are scheduled to start tomorrow. $85 billion will have to be stripped out of the federal budget this year alone. Andy Buchsbaum heads up the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes office, and he talked with us about what these cuts might mean for some environmental projects around the region.

Experts are finding the ruby-throated hummingbird is making the trip north in the spring earlier than ever. We’ll hear why the early migration could lead to some trouble for the little bird.

We’ll meet the inventor of a flying robot that can inspect wind turbines. What do flying robots and liquid lightbulbs have in common? Find out.

The federal government audit finds the advanced battery company LG Chem likely wasted more than a million dollars in grant money. But leaders in Holland are still hopeful their community will become a hub for advanced battery manufacturing.

The mayor of Grand Rapids wants the city to get all of the electricity for its operations from renewable sources by the year 2020.  We'll check in to see how they’re doing. 

If you hunt and fish in Michigan, you might have to pay more for some of your licenses in the future.Governor Rick Snyder has proposed big changes to the hunting and fishing license system.  We’ll hear what the governor has in mind.

A new bill could make some big changes to the way the state manages land.  Senator Tom Casperson is the bill’s sponsor.  We’ll hear why the Senator wants to limit the state’s ability to set aside land for biodiversity.

Water levels in the Great Lakes are so low that Governor Rick Snyder is calling for emergency dredging. Some lawmakers want to use money from a trust fund that’s used to preserve land. But some conservationists don’t like that idea.

Health officials track the flu every year, but scientists are also using Twitter to monitor flu cases.We’ll hear how they do it – and why.

When Governor Rick Snyder gave his Special Message on Energy and the Environment last fall, he said he wanted to hold forums around the state to talk about energy. We'll hear why the state is on a fact-finding mission.

When you use anti-bacterial soap, there’s a good chance there’s an ingredient called triclosan in it.  A new study finds triclosan is showing up in freshwater lakes, including Lake Superior.  We’ll hear what researchers know about the chemical and why they have some concerns about it going down your drain.

There’s a new report out from the federal government, called the National Climate Assessment.  We’ll hear from an author of the chapter on the Midwest... about what the future could hold for our region.

A group that wants to ban hydraulic fracturing says the state didn’t follow its own rules when it allowed fluids from fracked wells to be spread on roads.  We’ll hear from the state about this practice – that has now been discontinued.

We’ll visit the North American International Auto Show and hear how automakers are working to meet tough new fuel economy standards.

A new project is setting out to predict the future of the Great Lakes... and what we might want the region to look like.  It’s a collaboration between researchers, policymakers, industry and environmental groups.  The project puts younger people – grad students - in charge.