Army Corps plans $1B barricade to deter invasive carp from entering Great Lakes
To prevent the prolific fish from spilling out of Illinoisโ waterways and into Lake Michigan and beyond, the Army Corps is planning to build a $1.416 billion high-tech suite of barricades to deter the fish from moving upstream.
Recovered Midwestern bird soars off endangered species list
The interior least tern, a hardy Midwestern bird that survived a craze for its plumage and dam-building that destroyed much of its habitat, has soared off the endangered species list. (AP Photo/Dave Martin File)TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. โ The interior least tern, a hardy Midwestern bird that survived a craze for its plumage and dam-building that destroyed much of its habitat, has soared off the endangered species list. Environmental groups that sometimes have opposed dropping species from the endangered list supported the removal of the interior least tern. โWe consider it an Endangered Species Act success story for sure,โ said Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity. But he cautioned that vigilance was needed to make sure the bird's river habitat remains secure.
Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen
As high tide laps against the sea wall tourist walk down the Battery in Charleston, S.C. Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Others fear the wall will damage wetlands and wildlife, or that poor neighborhoods will be left out of flooding solutions. The barrier is reminiscent of fortifications that colonists built around Charleston 350 years ago to keep out invaders, but the Corps says the new wall is designed to keep out storm surge. The agency's proposal includes a floating breakwater offshore and some nonstructural measures, such as raising homes not situated behind the sea wall. Whether the city builds the wall or not, the process has accelerated the conversation Charleston needs to have about sea level rise, said Winslow Hastie of the Historic Charleston Foundation.
Feds want deal with North Dakota over pipeline protest costs
BISMARCK, N.D. The Army Corps of Engineers is recommending that the federal government negotiate a settlement with North Dakota for more than $38 million that the state spent policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. North Dakota Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer called the recommendation very significant and the right thing to do for the federal government. North Dakota assumed all costs including the cleanup of actions facilitated by the Corps of Engineers, Cramer said Tuesday. Thousands of opponents gathered in southern North Dakota in 2016 and early 2017, camping on federal land and often clashing with police. If not, we will prepare for trial.Stenehjem said North Dakota has a strong case and holds the upper hand in negotiations now with the federal judges ruling last month.