Environmental News - Chicago Tribune

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Lion Electric’s new school bus factory in Joliet aims to rewrite the rules for manufacturing in Illinois

Lion Electric brings the prospect of 1,400 jobs and offers hope that Illinois can put people to work attacking its most significant source of greenhouse gas pollution: tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks.

Some Chicago beaches making a comeback after Lake Michigan’s high water levels ate into the shoreline

The Chicago Park District is encouraging plant growth and using techniques such as controlled burns to help replenish Chicago's beaches.

Legal settlement ensures toxic coal ash will be removed from flood plain of Illinois’ only national scenic river

Texas-based Vistra will drain pits of water-soaked coal ash along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, about 120 miles south of Chicago.

Best bet for drought conditions: Water plants, soak trees and let grass go dormant, experts say

Even with the rain that could come this weekend, property owners are going to need to water their plants and trees this summer to avoid damage from the moderate drought conditions the area's experiencing.

‘A lakefront accessible to all:’ One-mile segment of Marquette Greenway completed in Portage

A new segment of the Marquette Greenway was officially completed Wednesday in Portage. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Deer Trail Park shelter to celebrate, attended by Mayor Sue Lynch, Indiana Dunes National Park Superintendent Paul Labovitz and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Bortner, among others.

Chicago’s hazy skies and red sunsets: Smoke from Canadian wildfires and city’s pollution converge for otherworldly display

The skies may look otherworldly, even awe-inspiring, but Chicagoans — especially those with respiratory or pulmonary disorders, as well as active children and adults — should take precautions.

Why do some parts of Chicago get hotter than others? Heat Watch program recruits volunteers to map temperatures.

Chicago is participating in the federal initiative, which aims to map temperature disparities and raise public awareness.

Amount of warming triggering carbon dioxide in air hits new peak, growing at near-record fast rate

The cause of global warming is showing no signs of slowing as heat-trapping carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere increased to record highs in its annual Spring peak, jumping at one of the fastest rates on record.

Illinois environmentalists push for state action to protect wetlands after Supreme Court ruling rolls back federal rules

More than half of the country’s 118 million acres of wetlands, according to estimates from the environmental firm Earthjustice, will effectively no longer have federal protection from developers and polluters.

Photos: Lion Electric's new school bus factory in Joliet

Lion Electric brings the prospect of 1,400 jobs and the first new vehicle assembly plant to metropolitan Chicago since 1965. It offers hope that Illinois can put people to work attacking its most significant source of greenhouse gas pollution: tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks. The factory employs 200 people and is assembling one bus a day. In a few years, if all goes as planned, it could be building up to 80 buses a day, according to Eric Pansegrau, the general manager.

Soil salvaged during construction at Rockford’s Bell Bowl Prairie is once again sprouting rare flowers and grasses

Violet wood sorrel and prickly pear cactus have been found in Bell Bowl topsoil that was relocated to Cedar Cliff Forest Preserve.

Judge rules scrap shredder that was denied a permit by the city should be allowed to operate on Southeast Side

After buying and then closing the often-troubled General Iron scrap shredder in wealthy, mostly white Lincoln Park, RMG planned to open the facility on the Southeast Side.

Indiana now ranked first among inland ports, second in Great Lakes ports by feds

For the first time ever, Indiana ports rank first among inland ports and second among Great Lakes ports for tons of cargo handled. The shift came thanks to recent changes to federal port rankings.

Bright green water at Centennial Beach nothing to fear, Naperville Park District officials say

The water at Centennial Beach might be bright green, but that's just the result of algae growth caused by the heat and lack of rain, according to the Naperville Park District. The condition doesn't cause a safety hazard, officials say.

Dredging effort to clean up Cedar Lake, decades in the making, about to begin

Workers staffing the dredge that will spend the next three years sucking sediment from the bottom of Cedar Lake say they have heard all the stories of what may be hidden in the lake’s murky depths.

Studies show Illinois most at risk from brain-damaging lead in water, but Florida getting bigger cut of $15 billion EPA fund to replace pipes

Illinois long estimated to have more lead pipe water lines to homes than any state, but Florida is getting more money to replace the toxic pipes in latest funding from EPA.

Supreme Court limits federal power over wetlands, boosts property rights over clean water

The Supreme Court made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution in a decision that strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water.

Mapping a threat: Read the investigation on disparities in Chicago’s summer heat

Heat is the deadliest weather phenomenon, killing more people in an average year than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and cold.

Searchable maps: Explore heat disparities and cooling resources in your neighborhood

Climate change is bringing more extreme heat to Chicago. Explore community trends with interactive maps showing the city's hotter areas.

Mapping a threat: Climate change’s deadly summer heat may deepen disparities in Chicago

Chicago's areas of extreme heat have higher numbers of Latino residents, while white residents disproportionately occupy the coolest areas.

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