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Gary Wilson

@garyglx5.bsky.social
430 followers 156 following 841 posts

(Chicago) Environmental Journalist - Gary's Great Lakes Notebook on Substack. Ex-Detroit PBS / Great Lakes Now, WKAR Public Radio. Environmental film judge. Conserve / Simplify ~ gw

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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 1h
A multiple decades old problem still a threat to drinking water today. "The state (MI) estimates more than 13 trillion gallons of Antrim groundwater have been contaminated with TCE, a carcinogen used as a solvent to degrease metal parts." #Michigan www.mlive.com/environment/...
mlive.com
Michigan races to extend public water ahead of huge toxic plume
Pollution stretching miles beneath Antrim County has reached another residential well and is expected to reach Shanty Creek within two to three years.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 8h
Chicago sunrise.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Michigan candidates, when you get a Great Lakes / water question skip the platitudes like, the Great Lakes define us. Or they're our economic engine or contain 20% of Earth's surface fresh water. Go straight to Ag pollution, Line 5, groundwater and data center water consumption and failing dams.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
In March 2024 I reported that an international nuclear power expert questioned the entirety of the Palisades restart. Including calling it "Michigan's travel to the 1960's." Gov. Whitmer's office did not respond to a request to comment. www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/20/i...
greatlakesnow.org
International nuclear energy expert questions Michigan’s Palisades restart - Great Lakes Now
Holtec’s lack of nuclear operating experience is cited as a potential issue, and expert Mycle Schneider urges a focus on renewables.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on October 12. We in the U.S. should give thanks for having Canada as our neighbor on our northern border.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
ICYMI: In 2014 the U.N came to Detroit to document the harm from water shutoffs. In 2018 candidate for gov Gretchen Whitmer pledged drinking water at an affordable rate for all. 86 days remain in her lame duck tenure. More here. garyglx5.substack.com/p/will-lame-...
garyglx5.substack.com
Will Lame Duck Gov. Whitmer Make an Amend on Drinking Water Affordability?
Campaign rhetoric is expendable but Whitmer’s failure to act on 2018 drinking water campaign pledge stands out
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is a short timer with a checkered water legacy, at best. Think Benton Harbor & bottled water. Now comes a flurry of activity, Line 5 tunnel and Detroit River. Will she include water affordability in her effort to salvage a legacy? garyglx5.substack.com/p/will-lame-...
garyglx5.substack.com
Will Lame Duck Gov. Whitmer Make an Amend on Drinking Water Affordability?
Campaign rhetoric is expendable but Whitmer’s failure to act on 2018 drinking water campaign pledge stands out
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Will lame duck Gov. Whitmer make an amend on drinking water affordability? Keep a 2018 campaign pledge? Epiphany needed. garyglx5.substack.com/p/will-lame-...
garyglx5.substack.com
Will Lame Duck Gov. Whitmer Make an Amend on Drinking Water Affordability?
Campaign rhetoric is expendable but Whitmer’s failure to act on 2018 drinking water campaign pledge stands out
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The latest on UMich's data center proposal that it wants to site in a disinvested community. @brianallnutt.bsky.social planetdetroit.org/2026/10/um-r... for @planetdetroit.org.
planetdetroit.org
‘What environmental racism looks like’: Protest targets University of Michigan computing center
U-M Regent Paul Brown joins protesters against $1.25-billion Ypsilanti Township computing facility that critics say is environmental racism.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Michigan had a major dam failure in 2020 and has the weakest dam safety laws in the country. Approaching seven years later it's finally on the cusp of strengthing dam safety laws. @bridgemi.com's Kelly House reports. bridgemi.com/michigan-env...
bridgemi.com
Long-awaited dam safety reforms move closer to law after Michigan Senate vote - Bridge Michigan
Thursday’s vote is a watershed moment in the years-long effort to strengthen Michigan’s dam safety standards, which are among the nation’s weakest.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
ICYMI: Focus on the Law to Protect the Environment. Environmental attorneys are focused on results, not processes. A list of standouts. garyglx5.substack.com
garyglx5.substack.com
Gary’s Great Lakes Notebook | Substack
A Substack focused on the Great Lakes, water and environmental justice issues. Click to read Gary’s Great Lakes Notebook, by Gary Wilson, a Substack publication. Launched a year ago.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Trying hard not to be skeptical about Whitmer's Det Riv clean up announcement. But advocates have been pleading for the state to engage for years. Now in her waning days she comes with a small dollar amount and a 2040 completion date. Really? Appearances? www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLxA...
youtube.com
State commits $89 million to restore Detroit and Kalamazoo rivers
YouTube video by WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Focus on the Law to Protect the Environment. Let's give environmental attorneys in the trenches their due. photo: Michigan Supreme Court justices. garyglx5.substack.com/p/focus-on-t...
garyglx5.substack.com
Focus on the Law to Protect the Environment
In tough political times, environmental attorneys remain focused on results. ‘Without the threat of litigation, our policy positions sometimes weren’t taken seriously,’ policy expert says.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In August I saw Christmas decorations for sale in a big box store. Today on the radio my first Black Friday ad with the tag line, 'Let's get buying!' What a mess.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Honored to be a judge and congrats to the award winners. One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Trees, water and Michigan's complacency over multiple decades. @greatlakesscribe.bsky.social has the long view. dempseyd.substack.com/p/trees-and-...
dempseyd.substack.com
Trees and Water
What has Michigan learned from the past?
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
One of the perks of judging for the One Earth Film Fest's Young Filmmaker contest is meeting the award winner who received my highest score for 'Gadgets and Droids.' The perils of data centers and AI. Congrats Teagan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw2P...
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
USEPA's top exec in Michigan pitching Enbridge's tunnel replacement for the aged Line 5 pipeline, at an Enbridge facility, btw. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...
detroitnews.com
EPA administrator pushes Line 5 tunnel plan safety during Michigan stop
U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin argued in support of the environmental safety of a planned tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Chi Trib's Mike Hawthorne with another deep dive on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes region. Spoiler: Flax. Exemplary reporting. @scribeguy.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/27/g...
chicagotribune.com
The overwhelming problem of plastic
From flax that can be used in clothing and cars to robotic skimmers to stricter laws, determined researchers, activists and volunteers fight an industry intent on making more plastic.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
One of the better-reported articles on Invasive (Asian) Carp. Avoids scare tactic doomsday scenarios and points out that the region has long-known about the threat, implied imo, what's taken so long for a remedy that's still years away, maybe. www.jsonline.com/story/news/e...
jsonline.com
Invasive carp threaten Lake Michigan. What happens if they get there?
As invasive carp threaten to move closer to the Great Lakes, experts are raising concerns about what could happen if they reach Lake Michigan.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Faux bi-partisanship. Claims that Great Lakes issues transcend the divide between D's and R's in Congress needs an asterisk as in, does not apply to all issues. Only 5 of 16 senators, no R's, signed this letter on Invasive (Asian) carp. www.durbin.senate.gov/imo/media/do...
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
'Great Lakes senators call on Trump to stop delaying invasive carp barrier.' Actually 5 of 16 Great Lakes senators and no Republicans. Not a good showing for one of the region's biggest issues. And what happened to the bi-partisanship we constantly hear about? www.wbez.org/environment/...
wbez.org
Great Lakes senators call on Trump to stop delaying invasive carp barrier
Senators from Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin are calling for a meeting to discuss the repeated pauses of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
ICYMI: The federal Great Lakes restoration program has long-been touted as a success. But there's more to the story as independent researchers discovered. My thoughts here. garyglx5.substack.com/p/reality-ch...
garyglx5.substack.com
Reality Check: Misleading Stats Challenge Success Claims of Great Lakes Program as Renewal Looms
EPA’s data looks impressive but raises questions, researchers reveal.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Reality Check: Misleading Stats Challenge Success Claims of Great Lakes Program as Renewal Looms. 'No one in 2004 was clamoring for a program that is a mile wide and an inch deep.' garyglx5.substack.com/p/reality-ch...
garyglx5.substack.com
Reality Check: Misleading Stats Challenge Success Claims of Great Lakes Program as Renewal Looms
EPA’s data looks impressive but raises questions, researchers reveal.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Scouring the bookstore aisles looking for an alternative to our dysfunctional government, I found this. ‘Politicians have failed us. Democracy doesn’t have to.’ @hlandemore.bsky.social
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
ICYMI: My interview with oil pipeline activist @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social on Line 5 and a tunnel replacement. He asks what we want -- ‘A self-destructing past or a life-sustaining future.' That and more here. garyglx5.substack.com/p/interview-...
garyglx5.substack.com
Interview: Line 5 Activist Jeffrey Insko
Insko reveals the genesis of his pipeline activism, he praises and criticizes Gov. Whitmer and explains why corporate profits are an issue. Plus, a cautionary message for the public
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thank you, Megan. ~ gw
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Interview: Line 5 Activist Jeffrey Insko. The genesis of his anti-pipeline work, praise and criticism for MI Gov. Whitmer, corporate profits and a cautionary message for the public. garyglx5.substack.com/p/interview-...
garyglx5.substack.com
Interview: Line 5 Activist Jeffrey Insko
Insko reveals the genesis of his pipeline activism, he praises and criticizes Gov. Whitmer and explains why corporate profits are an issue. Plus, a cautionary message for the public
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Chicago, piercing the clouds.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Flight
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A gray day in Chicago. L. Michigan in the background.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Textbook on how diplomacy is done by sane adults. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
European Union invites Canada to become first ever ‘associate member’
Commission president says EU must ‘urgently reimagine our partnerships’ as she makes unprecedented offer
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Perhaps the eight state poll results will prompt the @glcommission.bsky.social to weigh in. At times I’m asked what the various Great Lakes commissions actually do. So far I’ve abstained from saying, ‘not much.’
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Overwhelming majority of Great Lakes Now audience will not recognize ‘Lake America,' poll reveals. Props to my former @greatlakesnow.bsky.social colleagues @lisajohn.bsky.social and Detroit PBS exec Ed Moore for the stellar work. Poll results with comments here. www.greatlakesnow.org/2026/09/09/o...
greatlakesnow.org
Overwhelming majority of Great Lakes Now audience will not recognize 'Lake America' - Great Lakes Now
For one week, we asked what our community thinks about the U.S. president’s decision to rename Lake Ontario.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Props for the survey, Lisa. Well done.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Confessions of a News Junkie: From delivering the Detroit Free Press as a pre-teen at dawn to a nine year gig at Detroit PBS. garyglx5.substack.com/p/confession...
garyglx5.substack.com
Confessions of a News Junkie
From delivery of the Detroit Free Press as a pre-teen at dawn, to a nine year gig at Detroit PBS. And a little advice.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Canada's ace in the hole, the Welland Canal. 100% owned and operated by Canada. www.worldatlas.com/lakes/what-h...
worldatlas.com
What Happens If The Welland Canal Closes To US Shipping
What happens if Canada's Welland Canal closes to US shipping? Great Lakes trade to the Atlantic would stall, but the iron-ore fleet feeding US steel rolls on.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Decorum personified from Canada's PM Mark Carney as he comments on 9/11. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
cbc.ca
Carney pays tribute to 9/11 victims and 'countless more forever affected'
Prime Minister Mark Carney paid tribute Friday to those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including 24 Canadians. Carney, who praised those who helped in both the U.S. and...
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
9/11 vignette. A visit to New York months later. garyglx5.substack.com/p/911-vignet...
garyglx5.substack.com
9/11 Vignette
Months later
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A well-respected anti-pipeline advocate comments on Michigan Gov. Whitmer's late in her tenure action on thee Line 5 oil pipeline. A good read. @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social thecurrentowdm.substack.com/p/its-about-...
thecurrentowdm.substack.com
It’s About Time
Free at last.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Neglect & lack of prioritization of the Detroit River's issues is one of the great failures by federal & state agencies and environmental advocates. Here's an update on an issue that's plagued the river for decades. Note the agency language - process over outcomes. planetdetroit.org/2026/09/wyan...
planetdetroit.org
Downriver residents call for Wyandotte to switch drinking water source due to pollution near Detroit River intake
Environmentalists call for Wyandotte to abandon Detroit River drinking water intake downstream from BASF site that discharges contaminated groundwater.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Decades long UMich FB fan and former season ticket holder here. UMich should take the high road and declare WMU the winner. The polls and pundits are treating it as a loss so what does it matter?
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
‘We need to be aware and get more aggressive’: Trump’s desire for Canada’s water runs deep, says AquaAction president. Paywall but essence as I read elsewhere is that the rename of L. Ontario is the precursor to Trump claiming its water for the U.S. www.hilltimes.com/2026/09/09/w...
hilltimes.com
‘We need to be aware and get more aggressive': Trump’s desire for Canada’s water runs deep, says AquaAction president - The Hill Times
The U.S. president is not only trying to claim the name of Lake Ontario for America, but also ‘most of the lake's volume,’ which should spur Canada to ‘step up’ on its national water strategy, say exp...
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Wyandotte residents want a new source of drinking water as pollution to the Detroit River continues. There's a history of neglect of the river on a number of fronts and it continues. Props @brianallnutt.bsky.social and @planetdetroit.org for ongoing reporting. planetdetroit.org/2026/09/wyan...
planetdetroit.org
Environmental advocates call for Wyandotte to switch drinking water source due to pollution near Detroit River intake
Environmentalists call for Wyandotte to abandon Detroit River drinking water intake downstream from BASF site that discharges contaminated groundwater.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Is there a right to clean drinking water? Not in Mississippi a court rules. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/n...
detroitnews.com
No constitutional right to clean water in Mississippi, federal court finds
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit from Mississippi residents related to lead-contaminated water.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Ooops, photo credit: Dove Wilson
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Not unusual to see Chicago skyscrapers shrouded in clouds. It is to see a single strand dissecting the building.
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
ICYMI: 'A Petulant President, an Unprincipled Governor and Invasive Carp.' Plus two decades of - the sky is falling - messaging. #AlienInvasion, #TerminatorCarp garyglx5.substack.com/p/a-petulant...
garyglx5.substack.com
A Petulant President, an Unprincipled Governor and Invasive Carp
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer chose practicality over principle by using her access to President Trump. Was it even necessary?
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Here, an excerpt from Pres. Obama's 2016 farewell speech to Canada's Parliament after receiving a welcoming standing ovation. 'I think it's fair to say that much of this greeting is simply a reflection of the extraordinary alliance and deep friendship between Canadians and Americans.'
obamawhitehouse.archives.gov
Remarks by President Obama in Address to the Parliament of Canada
House of Commons Chamber Parliament of Canada Ottawa, Canada 6:03 P.M. EDT
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Gary Wilson @garyglx5.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
'A Petulant President, an Unprincipled Governor and Invasive Carp.' Michigan Gov. Whitmer leverages her relationship with President Trump. Practicality prioritized over principle and a history of carp scare tactics. garyglx5.substack.com/p/a-petulant...
garyglx5.substack.com
A Petulant President, an Unprincipled Governor and Invasive Carp
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer chose practicality over principle by using her access to President Trump. Was it even necessary?
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