The Farm Bureau agreed not to support R2R legislation in exchange for consumer repair diagnostics. Farmers and repair advocates say the tools fall short.
Category: Environment
Posted inEnvironment, Government
Gov. Tony Evers vetoes Republican-backed bill targeting PFAS chemicals
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a Republican bill that would have created grants to fight pollution from “forever chemicals” and took the unusual step of calling the GOP-controlled budget committee into meeting to approve spending $125 million to deal with contamination.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Power line debate in Wisconsin and Iowa pits environmental allies against each other
A lawsuit that has paused the completion of a power line in Wisconsin and Iowa is part of a conflict that exposes differences within the environmental and clean energy advocacy communities.
Posted inEnvironment
Midwest maple syrup producers adapt to record warm winter, uncertainty as climate changes
Human-caused climate change is having varied and unpredictable effects on maple harvests in Wisconsin, Iowa and elsewhere, experts say.
Posted inEnvironment
Ice cover on the upper Mississippi River was fleeting this winter. Is this our future?
Above-average temperatures across the upper Midwest, driven in part by the El Niño climate pattern and in part by human-caused climate change, made for less than one month of safe ice on the Mississippi River, scientists estimate.
Posted inEnvironment
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signs bills creating electric vehicle charging network
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday signed bipartisan bills designed to jump-start creation of an electric vehicle charging network along the state’s interstate system and major highways.
Posted inEnvironment
It’s prime eagle-watching time on the upper Mississippi River: Here’s how to get the best views
Many people might go their entire lives without seeing a bald eagle. But if you live within driving distance of the upper Mississippi River, that’s not a problem.
Posted inEnvironment
PFAS is piling up in our trash. Can we keep it contained?
Toxic “forever chemicals” are sitting in landfills. Researchers are studying whether PFAS might escape from trash into the air.
Posted inEnvironment
Poopspotting: How AI and satellites can detect illegal manure spreading in Wisconsin
Applying manure atop snow or frozen soil heightens the risk of runoff. Researchers are using aerial photographs — snapped by satellites orbiting the globe — to teach computers to recognize winter spreading.
Posted inEnvironment
Wisconsin appeals court says regulators must develop PFAS restrictions before mandating cleanup
Environmental regulators can’t unilaterally force polluters to clean up contamination from so-called forever chemicals without going through the Legislature to establish specific limits on the compounds, a state appellate court ruled.
Posted inEnvironment
Upper Mississippi River flooding unlikely after relatively dry winter
Unless thunderstorms dump rain on the Midwest in the coming months, there’s little chance of spring flooding on the upper Mississippi River this year, forecasters say.
Posted inEnvironment
Latest farm data ‘a wake-up call’ as Midwest farmers face ever steeper challenges
The latest Ag Census data show alarming trends in the upper Mississippi River basin, one of the most intensive agricultural areas in the U.S.: Less diverse farmers, more and more farms are going out of business, and farmland is being consolidated, making it even more difficult to get into the industry.