One of the goals included in Nebraska's Department of Environment and Energy's Priority Climate Action Plan recently submitted to the federal Environmental Protection Agency is to increase the use of regenerative agricultural practices in the state.

The plan identifies "cover crops, no-till, and reduced reliance on chemical fertilizer" as important practices to improve soil health, which increases its ability to sequester carbon.

Dennis Demmel is now semiretired after farming 1,800 acres in Perkins County. He was a certified organic farmer from 2007 to 2016, and said cover cropping and no-till farming have greatly improved the state's soil health. He noted the changes "really accelerated" when people began to bring in livestock.

"I think of them as walking composters almost," Demmel observed. "They convert residue into manure, which also includes microbes coming from the rumen in the cattle and going into the soil to activate additional microbiology activity in the soil."

Letting cattle graze for just the right amount of time has also been shown to increase the ability of water to penetrate the soil.

Demmel pointed out improvements in technology such as cross-fencing make it easier to rotate cattle more often and prevent overgrazing. He does not raise cattle himself but has an arrangement with a nearby buyer, whose cattle graze on his perennial grasses and legumes.

Demmel emphasized it can be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

"When it gets hot and dry in August, we may be out of grass," Demmel explained. "If there was a neighbor that was growing cover crops for a year, you could go move cattle over to that. It brings about cooperation between neighbors, bringing cattle back into the operation from one farm that has cattle and the other one doesn't."

In addition to contributing to greenhouse gases, fertilizer runoff has led to high nitrate levels in ground, surface and well water in parts of Nebraska, which have been linked to pediatric cancers. Demmel argued farmers reluctant to reduce their fertilizer application because it will reduce their yield might be surprised at how organic and regenerative practices actually affect their bottom line.

"For example, in organic farming, we would have yields that were maybe substantially lower than conventional methods," Demmel recounted. "But when we looked at the bottom line, well, we were getting a better price for our crop."

Demmel explained with organic farming, microbes fix the nitrogen so there's less need for fertilizer, thereby reducing costs. And since cover crops help the soil retain water, irrigation costs may be reduced as well.


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It's that time of year, when a strong winter storm might produce giant waves along Lake Superior shorelines that aren't frozen over.

Minnesota researchers are looking at how to harness those forces and turn them into usable energy. Superior's waves can sometimes top out at 10 to 15 feet in height before crashing into the shore.

University of Minnesota Duluth Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Craig Hill and his team have been looking into wave pattern data to learn just how powerful they can be.

Additional work will focus on deploying efficient devices that can convert wave energy into storable electrical energy. Hill said the Great Lakes region is a good "testing lab."

"We occasionally get these big storms," said Hill, "where we could, if the technologies were out there, we could power tens of thousands of homes from the waves in those storms."

Hill said one challenge is that Great Lakes waves are more intermittent compared to coastal areas on either side of the U.S.

He said those regions are seeing acceleration of this type of work, but noted that Superior can still be an ally in the movement, especially for testing.

He added that if the technology is perfected, waves could be one of many sources used in the transition away from fossil fuels.

Climate change is resulting in less ice cover on Lake Superior. Hill suggested that they can take that unfortunate impact and turn it into an opportunity.

"That has a big impact on the wave conditions," said Hill. "That has a big impact on the coastlines around the Great Lakes. And so, there might be opportunities to test out the devices year-round in the coming future here, on Lake Superior."

Hill said securing enough research funding is another challenge.

And before this technology is turned into a commercial-scale option, experts will have to ensure fish, aquatic mammals and shorelines aren't negativity impacted.




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This week, four tribal nations and environmental groups urged the Michigan Court of Appeals to overturn the state's approval of Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel project.

Attorneys for the groups argued the pipeline expansion threatens the Great Lakes and disregards tribal and ecological concerns. They are asking the state to consider a wider range of alternatives to the dual pipelines that carry crude oil and natural gas liquids beneath the Straits of Mackinac.

Carrie La Seur, legal director of the group For Love of Water in Traverse City, said the aging pipelines pose a real spill risk to lakes Michigan and Huron, citing Michigan's Environmental Protection Act for support.

"We argued that Michigan's Environmental Protection Act requires a really comprehensive look at feasible and prudent alternatives to any action that would create environmental damage," La Seur explained.

Enbridge released a statement saying in part the state's decision to approve the application for the Great Lakes Tunnel Project came after a tremendous investment of time and deliberation by the Michigan Public Service Commission and staff. For nearly four years they carefully examined the complex issue and considered many viewpoints, questions, concerns and ideas.

La Seur said the pipeline project is massive and unprecedented, involving drilling more than 300 feet beneath the land and extending more than four miles. She warned it could create even greater risks and complications.

"It would be transporting flammable product. It would require a lot of very challenging maintenance if there were ever a problem. Any type of spill cleanup would be extremely challenging," La Seur outlined. "There are all kinds of reasons why this tunnel presents some unique challenges."

The court has yet to make a decision in the case. Enbridge also needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which delayed its review of the project in 2023. The Corps plans to release its draft environmental report this spring.


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The U.S. Forest Service is facing a lawsuit from Montana conservation groups for authorizing a major logging project in a critical wildlife habitat. The Round Star logging project, located 13 miles west of Whitefish, would cover over 9,000 acres of forest land in an area inhabited by Canada lynx and grizzly bears. Both are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, which means they should take priority in logging plans.

Steve Kelly, president of the Council of Wildlife and Fish, is one of the plaintiffs.

"It's already been logged heavily, so we're really talking about some of the last places that lynx can even survive locally, never mind connectivity from one place to another," he said.

According to Alliance for the Wild Rockies, the Round Star project doesn't properly take into account the cumulative effects of nearby projects, which total about 42,000 acres of logging and burning and 100 miles of new roads.

A federal court judge in 2023 ruled against the Forest Service on a project in the Kootenai National Forest that similarly threatened grizzly bear habitats. Kelly wonders why the agency continues to attempt passing projects without adequate analysis of their effects.

"The court now is quite adept at figuring out who's doing what and why and applying the law. So there's really not much wiggle room anymore for the agencies to slide one by," he continued.

Canada lynx require habitat with dense forests and deep snow that also support populations of snowshoe hare, which make up about 75% of the lynx diet.


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