Michael Hawthorne – Page 2

Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago on Nov. 8, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Trump organization to pay $4.8M to settle fish-kill lawsuit against its Chicago high-rise

May 22, 2025 at 10:15 p.m.

Eight months after a Cook County judge found Trump Tower repeatedly violated clean water laws, the president's business operators agreed Thursday to pay $4.8 million to settle lawsuits alleging the...

3M's Cordova chemical plant on the Mississippi River upstream from the Quad Cities on Dec. 7, 2022. The company dumps highly toxic PFAS chemicals into the river and has contaminated hundreds of acres near the plant by spreading the plant's sewage sludge on land owned by 3M. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Trump EPA gutting limits on certain forever chemicals, delaying deadline to reduce others

May 14, 2025 at 8:04 p.m.

PFOA and PFOS have been found in the drinking water of 200 million Americans, including 6 out of 10 Illinoisans.

Miners drive down to a coal mine near Marissa, in 2011. The mine is part of Prairie State Generating Co. (Zbigniew Bzdak/ baiduhai)

Trump’s love affair with dirty coal can’t compete with market realities

April 13, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Executive orders unlikely to help coal, once a dominant sector of the economy but now in steep decline because it can’t compete against cleaner, less-expensive energy sources.

U.S. Steel Gary Works sits along the shore of Lake Michigan in Gary, Jan. 23, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

As Trump dismantles EPA, Great Lakes states with a history of pollution likely will suffer

April 2, 2025 at 1:04 p.m.

Mass firings and regulatory rollbacks come as scientists routinely determine pollution is far more damaging than previously thought.

Workers from Chicago's Department of Water Management replace a water main on North Mobile Avenue near Diversey Avenue on Jan. 14, 2021. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Fixing water mains installed too close to sewer lines could cost Chicago millions, IG report says

February 20, 2025 at 9:16 a.m.

In more than 1,200 spots in the city, work performed by water department contractors failed to comply with state and local health regulations.

The downtown Chicago skyline can be seen beyond the Harrison-Dever water intake crib in Lake Michigan on June 22, 2022, in Chicago. Water is pumped through a 20-foot diameter tunnel that runs underneath the lake and connects the crib complex to the James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant north of Navy Pier. (Erin Hooley/baiduhai)

Trump administration moves to oust EPA staff in Great Lakes region, including dozens responsible for protecting drinking water

February 11, 2025 at 10:15 a.m.

The Trump administration is moving to fire or force out more than 20% of the agency's Chicago staff.

Sludge from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is dumped and spread on farm fields in Will County on June 15, 2022. (Erin Hooley/baiduhai)

EPA warns of toxic forever chemicals in sewage sludge used on farmland, including thousands of acres near the Chicago area

January 15, 2025 at 6:43 a.m.

In northeast Illinois, more than 777,000 tons of sludge from Chicago and Cook County have been spread on farmland — in many cases near residential areas.

3M's Cordova chemical plant on the Mississippi River upstream from the Quad Cities on Dec. 7, 2022. The company dumps highly toxic PFA chemicals into the river and has contaminated hundreds of acres near the plant by spreading the plant's sewage sludge on land owned by 3M. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Pritzker EPA vows to step in as Trump calls for massive cuts to environmental protection

January 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

New chief's agenda includes expanding efforts to slow climate change, aggressive action on forever chemicals and speeding up lead pipe removal.

A lead service line is coiled on the ground after being removed from a home in the 10100 block of South Green Street in Chicago on May 2, 2024. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

EPA watchdog: Undeserving Florida getting millions for lead pipe replacement while Illinois, other states have bigger needs

December 4, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Florida is on track to collect nearly $1 billion in federal funds it doesn’t deserve to replace toxic lead pipes, according to a government watchdog report that concludes Illinois and...

Discarded lead pipe is removed from a home in the 10100 block of South Green Street in Chicago on May 2, 2024. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Biden EPA requires Chicago to dramatically speed up replacement of toxic lead pipes

October 8, 2024 at 6:29 p.m.

The move is part of changes in federal regulations intended to protect Americans from a metal so dangerous it is unsafe at any level of exposure.

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