Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI)

"The shale drilling boom that has helped create a huge supply of cheap natural gas continues to bring more and more fracking waste into Ohio."

"COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Federal environmental regulators are investigating a January chemical emergency at an Ohio oil well and asking why an inventory of the facility's chemicals wasn't available to local authorities, according to a letter released Wednesday by a coalition of activists."

"Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed into law the nation's strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling."

"Aboard the Dorothy Ann, in Lake Erie near Fairport Harbor, Ohio — As Capt. Jeremy R. Mock steered this 711-foot combination of tug and barge toward a harbor berth, a screen of red numbers indicated the decreasing depth of water under the vessel: 6 feet, 3.6 feet, 2 feet."

"For the public officials who safeguard Milwaukee's water, Cryptosporidium changed everything."

"Experts say Wisconsin lakes’ chemical cocktail likely similar to Minnesota's"

Until recently the American food revolution seemed to have bypassed the Rustbelt region which rims the Great Lakes from Buffalo to Detroit. But an "interdependent web of chefs, butchers, farmers, millers, bakers and brewers" there are "cooking sustainably, supporting agriculture and raising families — all while making world-class food with a strong sense of place."

"Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in southwestern Michigan was taken offline Sunday after operators discovered a leak from a water tank. Although the tank has leaked twice in less than a year, officials say there is no immediate risk."

"Recent flooding of the 263-mile-long Grand River led to runoff issues, sewage overflows, and an increased awareness of the river’s significance to the region."