Environment
Federal protection granted for imperiled freshwater mussels
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it was granting protection to longsolid and round hickorynut mussels, which have declined in many Eastern and Midwestern streams.
Solar farms in 3 states cited for environmental violations
A statement by the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency said, in each case, the alleged companies failed to take steps to control runoff water.
EPA to give $60M to 12 states to help curb water pollution
The federal government said Friday that it will distribute $60 million among 12 states that have waterways that flow into the Mississippi River to help them control farm runoff and other pollution that contribute to a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
EPA raises amount of ethanol that must be blended with gas
The fuel consumes more than 40% of the nation's corn supply, and ethanol and other biofuel production plants offer jobs in rural areas that have seen steady population declines over the decades.
Indiana steel mill agrees to pay $3M, improve waste system
A steel company has agreed to pay $3 million and improve the wastewater system at an Indiana mill, more than two years after a discharge of ammonia and toxic chemicals killed fish and closed beaches.
BP agrees to $500K penalty, soot limits at Indiana refinery
The refinery 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Chicago converts around 440,000 barrels of crude oil daily into gasoline, other fuels and asphalt. It covers 1,400 acres in Whiting, East Chicago, and Hammond, Indiana.
Deal halts Rockford airport's work that threatens prairie and bumble bees
With construction scheduled to resume Nov. 1, the non-profit conservation group that cares for the Bell Bowl Prairie struck a deal to temporarily halt bulldozers ready to expand Rockford Airport.
Biden appoints Debra Shore to lead EPA Midwestern office
Debra Shore, a wastewater treatment official in Chicago, will oversee EPA's Region 5, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, and oversees efforts to clean up the Great Lakes, industrial and agricultural pollution, and tainted drinking water.
